We’ve all gotten the recent emails about the crime epidemic on the University of Wisconsin campus and we’ve all been asking ourselves when the crime will come to an end. The answer? At the pace the school’s administration is moving, not anytime soon. There have been armed crimes and sexual assaults at all times of day since school began. But I’m telling everybody what they already know from the university’s wonderful “Timely Warnings.” It’s time to start talking solutions before the morning comes when we all get an email about somebody being shot and killed.

Around eight months ago, I had a private meeting with a high-ranking administration official. While the meeting was not about crime, the subject came up. The official made it clear to me that the police and the school both felt the rise in violent crime (note that the school has been aware of the rise for a long time) was due to outsiders coming into the city, possibly due to the drug trade. So, it is wise to clarify that most of the crime has not been student-on-student. Having said that, let’s take a look at how to solve this problem.

There are some simple steps that can and should be taken immediately.

1. Prioritize police attention: A little less than two weeks ago, I was at a bar when four police officers raided it looking for underage patrons. They didn’t find a single one. At the same time, a young woman was sexually assaulted on West Dayton Street. The police did not respond quickly enough and the suspect was not caught. Was raiding a bar really the best way for four police officers to spend their time when a woman needed more crucial help immediately? The police need to spend less time looking for kids drinking underage and spend more time on foot patrols, car patrols and making their presence known.
2. Allow students with concealed carry permits to carry their weapons on campus: The university made a mistake when it decided to make the campus a gun-free zone. This happened around two years ago when UW declared the whole campus a gun-free zone in wake of Wisconsin passing a concealed carry law. Instead of decreasing crime, we’ve seen an unprecedented crime wave. Students that are able to carry guns should be allowed to. This will give criminals something to think about when picking victims. Personal safety is a personal responsibility and carrying a gun for personal safety makes sense in these trying times.
3. Travel in groups: Probably the single easiest thing to do for safety is to travel in groups. Always try to have at least one male with you if you’re in a group of women. Attackers are less likely to target groups without at least one male.

These would be great first steps for the university, police and individuals to take. Let’s take our campus back from the fear of criminals and danger. On Wisconsin!

David Hookstead ([email protected]) is a junior majoring in political science. He is the creator of UW Confessions.