News

City, university communities highlight safety

University of Wisconsin officials launched a safety campaign in August targeted at off-campus students in light of recent crimes in downtown Madison that include the unsolved homicide of a UW junior.

Dean of Students Lori Berquam said the “Safety 24/7” campaign focuses on sophomores and juniors to increase safety awareness on properties outside UW lands.

On move-in day, students in downtown neighborhoods were greeted by volunteers who offered free bottles of water and door hangers with safety information.

Berquam and others reminded students to always carry a cell phone, never walk alone, never prop their doors open and to always be aware of their surroundings, regardless of the time of day.

“In the daylight you can and should be more aware of if there’s a window broken or a lock broken or if there is something going on in that shrubbery,” she said.

UW Police Department Chief Susan Riseling partnered with Berquam on the campaign and said it is necessary to inform students of an increase in daytime crime.

“Safety isn’t just an after-dark thing,” Riseling said. “We’re experiencing more burglaries and armed robberies in the downtown area, and a number are happening during the day.”

UW also launched a website last month designed to allow students quick access to safety resources. The site, www.safeu.wisc.edu, contains information on how to stay safe, emergency contact numbers and information about WiscAlerts, UW’s text messaging alert system that launched last spring.

The website also reminds students to be wary of violent behavior in peers, so UW could potentially avoid events like the shootings at Virginia Tech or Northern Illinois University.

Safety 24/7 may be further expanded in the coming weeks and months, Berquam said. Since many men are victims of these crimes, she wants to focus on reminding men that they too are at risk of being mugged or assaulted.

“That’s been the majority of assaults this summer, targeting men and young men walking alone,” Berquam said. “I’d even like to ask the women to challenge their male friends and say ‘Hey, just because you’re a guy doesn’t mean you should walk alone.’ These guidelines are really for everyone.”

Berquam said Safety 24/7 was influenced by an increase in crime and the homicides of UW-Madison junior Brittany Zimmermann and UW-Whitewater student Kelly Nolan.

“I don’t know if they were directly correlated, but those incidents definitely heightened our awareness that we needed some sort of campaign,” Berquam said. “There are these things happening, and we need to make sure our students are aware of it.”

University Housing will continue to use floor meetings and reminder sheets to help incoming freshmen adjust to the risk of crime in Madison.

UW is also working with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz and the city of Madison to promote campus safety.