The ASU Polytechnic campus hosted a town-hall meeting Monday on safety. Campus administrators, as well as representatives from the ASU and Mesa police departments, addressed issues like campus lighting and dangerous streets for pedestrians such as Sossaman Road.
Gerald Jakubowski, vice provost of the Polytechnic campus, opened the discussion saying since the campus opened in 1996, it has been seeing an enrollment increase of 20 to 25 percent each year. This places a greater importance on safety, he said.
After the homicide involving ASU athlete Loren Wade last March, University President Michael Crow created a committee to investigate safety issues involving student athletes, but now it has been expanded to include general safety issues, said Myles Lynk, College of Law professor and committee member.
A safety questionnaire was sent out last May to all students, faculty and administrators, Lynk said. More than 2,000 people responded. The findings showed that about one-eighth of the respondents had been victims of harassment or violence or both. Respondents also reported seeing guns and knives on campus, he added.
The committee developed 28 specific focus recommendations, including helping athletes better integrate into the community by making sure all campus resources are available to them. It also suggested having a town-hall meeting every year for the next five years to open up a chance for dialogue between the Department of Public Safety, campus administrators and the community, Lynk said.
Commander John Sutton, head of police operations at the Polytechnic campus, said there are 10 officers and five police aides currently serving the campus. In the next five years, Sutton said he sees those numbers growing to keep pace with the expanding student body.
Reach the reporter at cem.burnham@asu.edu.
