The University of Arizona's Chief Safety Officer Steve Patterson and Director of Counseling and Psych Services Aaron Barnes speak at a press briefing on Friday, Sept. 13, 2024.
The University of Arizona says multiple focus groups are meeting to improve campus safety following the results of a campus-wide survey.
The Office of Public Safety survey was conducted this spring as part of the university’s ongoing effort to increase security following the on-campus shooting of Dr. Thomas Meixner two years ago.
41% of respondents overall said there was at least one place they felt unsafe on campus. That number increases to 57% when looking specifically at students’ responses. Most identified parking garages and the three underpasses below Speedway Boulevard as the areas they felt the least safe.
According to the report, the most commonly reported reasons for feeling unsafe in these areas included insufficient lighting and concerns about unfamiliar people. 44% said observing suspicious activity in these areas made them feel unsafe.
Chief Safety Officer Steve Patterson said one group is working to examine potential lighting issues.
“Facilities management, parking and transportation, UAPD, we are currently, right now, working with an engineering firm looking at lighting inside garages. Where is the lighting, and where is the consistency of lighting? Do we need more lighting?” he said.
Patterson also said the University is considering requiring students to complete active shooter training in the coming school years. University employees are currently required to complete this training yearly.
“Obviously, for me and the world that we're in, I feel that these actions should be mandatory, but I also want people to take it because they know that's the right thing to do, and that it's going to help not only themselves, but the rest of the community. So we'll make a determination, probably by the end of the school year, if not the start of the fall, as to if we're going to add some additional mandatory training,” he said.
Further data from the survey found women, minorities, and LGBTQ+ individuals reported higher levels of feeling unsafe on campus.
Data was collected online from March 27 to April 15 of this year and received just over 3,000 responses from students and employees.
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