Statesman

Issue date: 10/8/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Tyler Sweeney A student walks alone on campus at around 10 p.m. on Monday night.

Last year, Olivia Young was walking home around 9:30 p.m. On her way, she saw a man unclothed in the alley by her house and appeared to be masturbating.

Although the man made no contact with Young, she knew that something was not right and that it was not normal behavior, so she called the cops.

For Young and other students who have to travel at night, whether it's because of evening classes or extra curricular activities, the parking lots, streets and sidewalks leading towards their destinations seem scary and unfamiliar.

The good news is that there is are options, all you have to do is call the right people.

UMD offers a free escort service to all students called Safe Walk. Safe Walk is student organized and run by the Greek organizations Gamma Sigma Sigma (GSS) and Alpha Phi Omega (APO).

"We walk within a two-mile radius of campus," Erin Kraemer, Safe Walk chair for GSS, said.

According to Kraemer, after a student calls, a member of GSS and APO will meet them from where they made the phone call and walk them to their destination. There will always be one female representative from GSS and one male representative from APO to make students feel more comfortable.

"I encourage students to have the number in their phone just in case they do need it," Kraemer said.

Members of the Greek organizations volunteer their time each night to be available for students and hope to see an increase in the usage of Safe Walk.

"I think it has the potential to make an impact," Kraemer said, speaking of Safe Walk.

Kraemer said she feels the reason Safe Walk is not more popular is because of lack of awareness of the organization, and because students usually feel safe while walking through campus.

Although UMD is generally seen as a safe campus, there is some crime.

Last year on campus, there were 11 accounts of motor vehicle theft, one account of burglary, one of aggravated assault and one account of forcible sex offences, according to the University Police Department crime statistics.

"Generally, I like to think the campus is safe," said Lt. Anne Peterson of university police. "However, having a safe campus does not excuse students from taking the proper safety precautions: walk with a buddy, walk in well-lit areas [and] when you go to your car, have your keys ready. If you sense that something isn't right, go with your gut feelings."

Since the incident took place last year, Young said she now tries to be safer when leaving school late at night.

"I leave school earlier or have a ride home," said Young.

Safe Walk is available from 8 p.m. until 12 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, and the office is located in Kirby Student Center. The phone number is 218-726-6100 and can be found on all resident hall key chains.

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