Complaints have fueled a roundtable on campus safety that will be held next week.
Campus Safety Services will hold a roundtable discussion with Temple Student Government members and students on Wednesday Nov. 30.
At last night’s TSG General Assembly meeting, Vice President of External Affairs Elliot Griffin said she is trying to bring Facilities Management into the roundtable, too.
TSG decided to hold the discussion after students brought consistent complaints about the TUrDoor and OWLoop shuttles, as well as TU Alert notices.
“We’ve had these types of discussion with just the TSG executives, but this is for all of the student body,” Griffin said.
Students have complained about late shuttles, insufficient shuttle routes and delayed or no responses from Facilities Management.
Freshman international business major Vini Marques uses the TUrDoor shuttle regularly, mostly on weekends.
“I came out at about 1:30 to 2 in the morning [Sunday, Nov. 20]…at the TECH Center. There was a shuttle,” Marques said. “I got in, because I was cold. I got in, but there was no driver…I assumed, you know, someone was in the bathroom or something, but then I realized, it’s Saturday night, the TECH Center is [now] closed…I was there for an hour and no driver showed up at all.”
Marques said he then went to the CSS office to ask for an escort home, where, he said, personnel told him that all available officers were “on call.”
“On my way home, I get to Dunkin Donuts, there were these cops sitting there talking. I asked them ‘Why can’t you take me home?’ [An officer] said, ‘Where do you live at?’” Marques said.
Marques lives roughly four blocks off-campus. He said that upon telling the officers where he lived, officers said he “’could’ve just walked home by now, instead of complaining.’”
Marques experienced an attempted mugging last week while walking home alone, he said.
“I bring all these concerns back to [Facilities Management],” Griffin said, “but I think it’d be great for them to hear it straight from the students, other than myself.”
Capt. Eileen Bradley and Lt. Charles Leone, deputy director of CSS, will be in attendance at the meeting.
A location has not been finalized for the roundtable. Griffin said information about the roundtable will be posted on the TSG website.
Amelia Brust can be reached at abrust@temple.edu.
IT IS TERRIFYING TO HEAR THIS AS A PARENT! THAT STUDENT DIDNT KNOW WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN ON THAT UNATTENDED SHUTTLE! I THINK IF SECURITY IS FUNDED BY THE STATE THIS IS NOT AN AREA THAT CAN AFFORD STAFF CUTS! IF PRIVATE , THERE SHOULD BE A REEVALUATION AS TO WHERE FUNDS ARE NEEDED TO FURTHER ASSURE THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN!!