The risk of assumed safety at VCU

Shane Wade
Opinion Editor

Prospective students and parents always ask me the same question: Do I feel safe at VCU?

Without hesitation, I’ve always answered affirmatively. Between the over 300 on-campus ETRS boxes, an ever-present police presence and an almost unnerving number of security cameras, I’m confident that adequate number of measures are in place to both deter the occurrence of crimes and catch culprits that choose to deft the law.

But no amount of security put in place by the administration can protect us from our greatest danger: the unrestrained spontaneity that is ourselves. All the guards and security cameras in the world cant ensure our lives.

We, as individuals, are our own greatest enemy when it comes to our safety at VCU.

Students seem to suffer from a regrettable case of assumed safety. Great tragedy befalls on someone else and never us. We won’t be the person who was hit by a car because they didn’t look both ways before crossing the street. We won’t be the cyclist bulldozed down by a truck because we were listening to our iPod instead of the car horns.

The unabridged carelessness that ranges from us doing the most menial of tasks at the most ordinary times of day plagues us on an hourly basis. It’s not that we lack common sense; it’s that we fail to use it.

The frustrating fact to keep in mind is that simple alertness – a quick look before crossing the street or choosing to take the long way home – could prevent a fair amount of incidents that occur on or near campus.

But sometimes that’s not enough. Sometimes our safety is completely out of our control.

The tragic events of last week and the death of Carolina Perez still continue to affect the VCU community as we’re forced to address concerns about safety at VCU, as well as the administration’s actions concerning the tragedy.

There’s not much that can be said; we all know the perils of drunk driving. There’s no point in ranting about how irresponsible and dangerous it is. How it can ruin lives. How it has ruined lives.

This won’t become some huge watershed moment where we all collectively make a decision to never drink and drive. No amount of quotes, statistics or data can deter spontaneously irrational actions. It’ll happen again. We’ll mourn again

But we, the VCU community, can use this moment to reaffirm our commitment to being an university that makes student safety a priority. VCU could boost the top academics in the country and a five-star student life, but if the administration can not effectively convince the VCU community and prospective students that they are in a reasonably safe environment, we won’t progress at all.

Practically, that means that VCU might have to become more intrusive in dealing with students with less-than-stellar backgrounds. This might involve limiting privileges based on past incidents or requiring incoming students with substance-abuse issues to undergo rehabilitation counseling for potential issues. It’s a sensitive issue, but one that has to be noticed.

Let’s reaffirm our commitment and prioritize student safety.