Contact: Elizabeth Conlisk (614) 292-3040

 

OSU initiatives promote safety in University District

Relationships with community members cited as key

COLUMBUS -- Communication, collaboration and community have surfaced as the three keys to promoting and securing a safe atmosphere in the neighborhoods surrounding The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus.

     Students, faculty and administrators reported to the Board of Trustees Friday (Nov. 2) that the numerous efforts to ensure that students are safe off campus have resulted in a largely peaceful autumn quarter – and have fostered cordial relationships among populations living in the area.

            For example: faculty and staff who live in the University District sometimes host cookouts and other gatherings to which their student neighbors are invited. And student party hosts occasionally invite a patrolling police officer to sit awhile and have a chat with responsibly celebrating students.

            “We are focused on building relationships rather than taking a confrontational approach, and it seems to be working quite well,” said Eric Busch, assistant vice president for student success services in the Division of Student Affairs.

            The presentation to the board covered safety, culture change, communication, student advocacy, community development and appearance of the area.

            New initiatives to promote safety include a Friday and Saturday evening neighborhood patrol by police on bicycles, a practice that has been well-received – even when officers have suggestions concerning behavior, such as turning down music or advising party hosts to check identification.

            A University Area Crime Stoppers program is being launched, combined with the existing Community Crime Patrol that has a strong presence in the University District. The city and university also remain committed to strict enforcement of alcohol and other applicable laws and of policies related to off-campus behavior that are covered by the Student Code of Conduct.

            The culture change, best represented by the relationships developing throughout the district, also has a statistical angle: The number of students who drink heavily has decreased by 15 percent over the past three years. And those who misbehave face the ire of their peers.  A Student Affairs assessment conducted last May indicated that 90.5 percent of Ohio State undergraduates felt off-campus riots and disturbances last spring were an embarrassment.

            Communication, in the form of a heavy flow of information carrying consistent themes, has been key – in a variety of formats for a number of audiences. It began before school started, with messages to students and parents delivered during summer orientation about alcohol, drugs and disturbances – and their consequences. A Party Smart campaign is in full swing, advising students how to avoid trouble when hosting and attending parties off campus. The advice is delivered primarily via creative advertising in the Lantern and a detailed Web site (http://www.osu.edu/partysmart). Recommendations go beyond alcohol issues, and come from a university showing its concern for its students.

            “We tell them we care about them and want them to enjoy all aspects of their lives as students at Ohio State. And then we say, ‘You are adults who have responsibilities. Here are laws and policies that apply to you, and the consequences of violating them.’

“There are other behaviors that really can threaten the safety of students attending parties. Some people stand on porch roofs or pile on balconies, and there has been a history of setting things on fire, though that is decreasing, as well,” Busch said. “We are looking at all aspects of their personal safety.”

     Property owners, parents, renters and residence hall dwellers also receive information concerning off-campus activity via fliers and brochures.

            Rebecca Price, an off-campus representative in Undergraduate Student Government, and Luke Whitworth, an Evans Scholar active in a number of community programs, told trustees that students are sharing in the responsibility of conveying the messages to their peers. Student leaders consistently speak out in favor of responsible behavior and in support of university policies, and large numbers of students participate in a block watch program to help protect each other. USG is conducting a door-to-door campaign in the University District to share information and survey student residents about actions needed in the area.

Additionally, information about late-night alcohol-free events is reaching its intended audience: More than 10,000 students to date have attended events at the Ohio Union, Larkins Hall, Summit United Methodist Church, COSI and the Wexner Center this quarter.

     Kay Bea Jones, associate professor of architecture and a University District resident, spoke to the faculty involvement in developing a sense of community in the campus neighborhoods. She sits with students, police, other residents, property owners, OSU administrators, city services representatives and clergy on an off-campus strategies committee that developed the neighborhood police patrol and Party Smart initiatives.

            Development of community extends to efforts to improve the appearance of the University District through gardening projects, exploration of how to reduce residential trash problems and efforts to promote systematic code enforcement of properties.

            “We have a lot of people working very hard to ensure the safety of not just student residents in the area, but permanent residents, as well,” said Vice President for Student Affairs Bill Hall.

As part of the presentation, Hall introduced the board to longtime university administrator Barbara Rich, who, as the new assistant vice president for community development in Student Affairs, will assume leadership of the initiatives discussed.

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