Following the case of the missing Virginia Commonwealth University freshman, AU Public Safety warns that students should be aware of threats both on and off-campus to protect themselves.
"Make sure someone, a roommate or another classmate, is aware of one's whereabouts at all times," said Capt. Norman Bailey of AU's Public Safety, who has a daughter in her first year of college. Bailey also suggested that students tell their parents and their friends who their contact person is and how to get in touch with them.
VCU freshman Taylor Marie Behl left her dorm room around 10:30 p.m. on Labor Day with $40 in cash, her car keys and her cell phone. Her car was found in a neighborhood near VCU's campus on Sept. 17 with stolen Ohio tags in the place of her Virginia license plate.
A 38-year-old photographer, who is supposedly romantically involved with the Virginia Commonwealth University student was arrested Friday in Richmond and charged with possessing child pornography, according to an article in The Washington Post.
Shayna Hayes, a junior in the School of Communications, said she generally feels safe in D.C., but she doesn't go out by herself.
"I never actually felt unsafe on campus," she said. "I think it's probably because I know how to defend myself."
Public Safety technically has no jurisdiction in off-campus incidents that involve AU students, Bailey said. Public Safety does, however, have relationships with local police departments, and officers regularly attend monthly meetings with the Metropolitan Police Department 2nd District and the local Advisory Neighborhood Commission.
American University's main campus is in Advisory Neighborhood Commission 3D. AU is entitled to have a student representative elected to the commission, but there hasn't been one elected for some time, according to Alma Gates, the chairman of the commission.
The ANC considers AU part of its neighborhood. When asked if they feel any responsibility to look out for AU students, Gates said, "I think that we are probably on the other side of this equation."
Gates said that since school reconvened in mid-August, reports of incidents in Police Service Area 205, the area that includes AU and ANC 3D, have gone up 40 percent. "I think you can see the impact the university students have on our police department," said Gates.
Gates also mentioned that PSA 205 got an award last year for having the lowest crime rate in the city.
Safety Tips
Security on Campus, a non-profit organization dedicated to making college and university campuses safer, lists safety tips on their website, including:
Know where emergency phones (blue-lights) are located on the paths you take to classes, activities and other places you go on campus regularly.
Share your schedule with parents and close friends. Give them each others' phone numbers.
Always travel in groups. Use a shuttle service after dark. Never walk alone at night. Avoid "shortcuts"
