Students mostly unaware of campus safety programs

Story and photo illustrations by Marie Rodriguez

A young female leaves a Pima Community College campus at night after studying late. The parking lot is nearly empty except for a man lurking behind a car.

This spine-chilling scenario may leave students questioning their ability to protect themselves in a potentially threatening situation.

PCC lists maintaining a safe learning environment for students and faculty as one of its top priorities. However, if students are unaware of safety precautions and procedures, how safe is the campus?

The college has its own police department, officers on campuses from 6 a.m. to midnight, blue emergency phones installed and an escort service available when needed, but crimes still occur.

In 2008, the latest year available, PCC reported 46 disturbances, 12 assaults and six sex offenses. These totals likely don’t reflect the actual number of criminal offenses. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, fewer than five percent of attempted and completed rapes are reported to police.

Crime rates at community colleges may be a fraction of those that occur at universities that have students living on campus, but PCC has close to the same number of full-time students enrolled as the University of Arizona.

Chief of Police Stella Bay said PCC is continually looking for ways to improve safety awareness and crime prevention.

“The physical well-being of all students and employees is of paramount importance to the college,” she said in an interview.

“We have community service officers, police officers, we do training at the campuses, we have campus watch,” Bay said of protecting the campuses. “And then we have the blue phones.”

Students may spot a passing squad car on campus, but it can sometimes be difficult to quickly locate an available officer. As for other safety programs, many students are unaware of their existence.

Apprehensive students leaving campus late at night can call PCC’s escort service at 206-2700 rather than risk walking to their car alone. A secretary at PCC’s Department of Public Safety said the department doesn’t receive as many calls for escorts as one might think.

Bay said she plans to reintroduce a Rape Aggression Defense training program to students. PCC’s Web site describes the program as “a 12-hour training class with much of the time spent on practicing the practical application of defense tactics.”

Currently, there are no programs such as RAD in place to teach students defense strategies.

PCC students Nahrin Jabro and Benette Valdillez are in favor of safety awareness programs on campus.

“That would be so awesome,” Jabro said of self-defense programs. “I know nothing about anything and I have to ask for everything that I need to know about.”

Valdillez is aware of the disadvantages women face in self-defense. “I don’t mean to be sexist, but we’re just girls,” she said. “If a 160-pound guy comes after me, what am I going to do?”

She carries mace, but isn’t sure what to do if she needs to use it.

Neither student understands how the blue campus security phones are supposed to work.

“What if I’m running from someone?” Valdillez asked. “Do I pick up one phone, then run to the next? How will anyone find me if I have to run away from the phone I’m at?”

Other young women interviewed do not feel comfortable knowing that there are 14 level 2 (intermediate risk) and three level 3 (high risk) sex offenders attending PCC classes.

Most students have seen sex offender notices posted by administrators in accordance with Arizona law. Many female students don’t know how to react to the notices and begin to feel uneasy.

“I always feel weird and scared,” Selin Goktis said of seeing notices of sex offenders posted in campus bathrooms. “It’s a quiet place where anything can happen.”

PCC no longer offers programs on campus safety during freshman orientation. “So many resources are available online now,” Assistant Vice Chancellor for Marketing Rachelle Howell said.

Howell also said PCC does not have any available tips for sexual assault awareness.

Bay said the police site, pima.edu/dps, offers only general tips. “I think it’s just safety awareness tips,” she said. “They’re just general, for everyone.”