Georgetown University students are being warned to stay alert after a series of robberies occurred near their campus over the past three weeks.
School officials sent out a campus-wide e-mail last week informing students of of four robberies that took place in and around west Georgetown.
Two women and two men were robbed in separate incidents on 33rd Street the night of Oct. 14, according to the e-mail.
In the first incident, the assailant forced one of the women to give up her purse after he grabbed her hair, threatened her and put a gun to her head, according to Georgetown's student newspaper, The Hoya. Later that evening, two male GU students were robbed in the same area.
"I have heard about the increase in crime around Georgetown," Ashley Turner, a student at Georgetown, said in an e-mail. "We have gotten numerous e-mails from the school warning us about recent crimes in the area."
Two days after the first two incidents, another GU student was struck on the head with an unknown object and robbed at 36th and P streets, according to school officials.
The fourth incident occurred earlier this month near the university, but was not reported until last week.
"I myself have not experienced or witnessed any crimes, but close friends of mine had their apartment broken into," Turner said.
Some Georgetown students are heeding some of the advice that GU Public Safety has given the students on how to protect themselves.
"I am taking the precaution of keeping my doors locked at all times, even when I am home," Turner said. "I do feel that Georgetown is making the appropriate effort to keep the campus safe, and despite the recent crimes, I do feel safe," Turner said.
GU Public Safety is working with the Metropolitan Police Department to heighten police presence around campus. No one has been arrested in connection with the incidents yet, and the MPD is still investigating, according to The Hoya.
In the AU area, students are also taking extra precautions in light of recent crimes near campus.
Two AU adjunct professors were robbed in late August, and a resident of The Avalon, an apartment complex where many AU students live, was shot earlier this month.
"One time near campus I was walking by myself back from Tenleytown and I felt uncomfortable ... I would not like to be mugged," said Casey Roe, a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. "I had to walk alone one night in Georgetown, and I flipped out."
Roe said she now walks with friends or in groups and tries not to walk alone at night.
On campus, AU Public Safety offers escorts to drive or walk with students if they feel unsafe. Escorts are available by calling x2527.
