Administrators told members of the University of Wisconsin’s student government Wednesday they are hopeful robberies in the downtown area will stop after a recent arrest was made in connection with a number of incidents.
Dean of Students Lori Berquam updated the Associated Students of Madison’s Coordinating Council on the university’s work to keep students informed on campus safety incidents, citing email networks, news articles and WiscAlerts as part of the efforts. She said the UW Police Department, Madison Police Department and UW Housing are all working in collaboration to keep students safe.
Sexual violence and sexual assault is being kept on the forefront of priorities, Berquam said. The Alcohol Edu and Tonight programs for freshman were a success, she said, as only 300 students still need to complete the Tonight program before spring enrollment. The Division of Student Life is partnering with University Health Services for the At Risk Campaign by training faculty to recognize signs of students that are in a “sad space,” she said.
ASM Chair David Gardner said he has been hearing feedback from students that are concerned by all of the alerts sent to them.
Berquam said she has seen a recent increase in crime, specifically in student areas just off campus. However, Berquam said police believe an arrest made last week will lead to a dramatic decline crime rates as the man arrested was probably coordinating many of the crimes.
Nonetheless, Berquam advised students to remain aware of their surroundings.
“Frankly, I don’t want [students] to stop being vigilant about your safety and your friends’ safety,” she said.
Jessica Behling, Diversity Committee chair, said she was concerned about the alerts using racial profiling in their descriptions by only identifying a people’s race if they were not white.
Berquam said the alerts only include descriptions based on the witness’ account. Police officers have a standard set of questions they ask the witness, and the information they share comes directly from those responses, she said.
There was a discrepancy at the beginning of the year because one alert described the suspect as black but did not identify the race of the victim because it was assumed she was white, ASM Vice Chair Mia Akers said.
However, UWPD Chief Susan Riseling said her department is extremely conscious of racial profiling.
The council also passed an amendment to the recruitment and retention position that would require the person applying for the position to be available to work over the summer.
Student Council will vote on the recruitment and retention position in their meeting next week.
