Why do the students feel unsafe? They said they didn’t want or need police. What’s the problem?
Campus Reform reports:
Students demand university offer ‘safe’ rides home at night after defunding policeBinghamton University announced in June that they are reallocating a portion of the campus police department’s budget to other campus services such as “mental health.” Just two months later, students are now petitioning the university to provide them with car rides home at night to make them “feel safe.”Specifically, students at Binghamton are calling for the school to resume its “Safe Ride” program.Safe Ride is a form of on-campus transportation provided by the university from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. during the school year. If students feel unsafe walking on the campus between these hours, they can call this service and be driven to their destination.The program is run by the Binghamton’s Transportation and Parking Services, but it was not scheduled to operate this fall because of coronavirus safety concerns. The university stated that “the size of the vehicles does not allow for social distancing, creating a risk to student drivers.”Instead, students were encouraged to use the walking escort service offered by the University Police if they feel unsafe on the campus.In response to safety concerns, more than 500 students signed a petition calling for Binghamton to “resume its Safe Ride service.”While students have an on-campus shuttle service available to them until 1 a.m., the petition states that “students will be forced to walk alone after that time, potentially putting themselves in danger simply for trying to get home.” The petition claims that Binghamton’s “administrative negligence is rampant,” making references to rising concerns about sexual assault on the campus.
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