Walking past the Comcast Center, through dimly-lit Lot 4 and along pitch-black Paint Branch Trail last night, university administrators and staff took a walk in graduate students’ shoes.
For the first time, the Graduate Student Government organized two safety walks on and around the campus last night, much like the Student Government Association’s annual safety walk in October, in an effort to show university officials the dangers many graduate students face walking home daily.
One tour began in Lot 4, which students said is often poorly lit.
“The surrounding parking lots are pitch black and make many students uncomfortable to walk back to their car,” animal science graduate student Karin French said.
Present at the walk was Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Pat Mielke, University Police Capt. John Brandt and Resident Life Associate Director Jan Davidson, none of whom had never done a safety walk and were surprised by some of the issues they encountered.
“I was shocked to see how poor the lighting was on Paint Branch Trail,” Mielke said. “The university absolutely needs to talk to Maryland National Capital Park and Planning about improving it. Especially being directly behind the Engineering building, I know a lot of students are cutting through here late at night to get home.”
The second safety walk, which toured Lot 1 and the Campus Drive sidewalks leading to Graduate Hills apartments, was led by GSG President Anupama Kothari and GSG Vice President for Student Affairs Geneveive Page.
Page said while walking down Campus Drive many administrators expressed shock about the narrow and dimly lit sidewalks and high density of traffic.
“When we crossed the street to Graduate Hills, and the administrators had to dodge traffic, they expressed concern and sympathy that graduate students had to deal with it every day,” Page said. Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs Jim Osteen and Associate Director of Resident Life Cindy Felice accompanied them on the walk.
Kothari led the group through Graduate Hills, where she used to live, and explained that she decided to move when her friend was shot at while taking speakers out of his trunk. It was too unsafe, she said.
“There were constantly non-residents congregating at the entrance of the parking lot, that connects to U.S. [Route] 193, talking amongst themselves with hoods over their heads, turning away every time a car would pull in,” Kothari said.
Graduate Hills resident and graduate student Tania Biswas said one of her friends was robbed in the parking lot in May. Though she did not experience it first hand, the victim told her about the incident.
“Police need to set up a permanent mobile police station near here,” said Biswas. “I feel really unsafe.”
botehlodbk@gmail.com
