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THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
MONDAY, DEC. 7, 2015 | VOLUME 130 ISSUE 29
NEWS ROUNDUP »
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CONCEALED CARRY AT KU.
A committee is hosting an open forum on Tuesday.
Here's what you need to know about the concealed carry conversation.
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ART IN FOCUS Meet Marissa Shell, a graduate student from New York who uses light and textiles to create unique 3-D sculptures. Arts & Culture ...00
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THE RALLY. How Kansas volleyball survived five set points to defeat Missouri and advance to the Sweet 16.
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Whv do students sav they feel less safe at night?
OUR HEALTH
EVAN RIGGS, CALE JOHNSON & MADI SCHULZ @KansanNews
This is the third in a series from The University Daily Kansan exploring issues impacting student wellness.
At 10 p.m. three nights a week, Mary Kate Danaher, a junior from Kansas City, Mo., gets off work at Watson library. After she packs up her backpack, she heads outside to walk home. Even near the library and other areas that are well lit, she said she feels uneasy.
"I usually call someone on my way home," said Danaher, who lives a few blocks from campus. "I don't know if there's necessarily any reason to be worried when leaving the library at night, but I think it's better to be safe than sorry."
Most reported crimes at the University, including violent crimes, occur during daylight hours. But like Danaher, more students report feeling unsafe on campus at night than during the day.
In a recent survey of 426 University students, 24 percent reported feeling either "not safe at all" or "somewhat unsafe on campus at night. By comparison, fewer than one percent said they felt unsafe during the daytime. The survey was part of the 2015 University of Kansas National College Health Assessment.
Two factors that could be impacting student views is the
A review of police reports from Oct. 16 to Nov. 15, showed that of 27 crimes reported to Public Safety, five were reported as occurring at night. Of those five, three were thefts, one was a breaking and entering, and one was an assault at Gertrude Sellards Pearson Hall in which a person grabbed another person's arm and neck and wouldn't let the person leave.
jump in overall crime on campus and publicity surrounding sexual assault cases. In 2014, 832 crimes were reported on campus, compared with 661 in 2013. The spike in numbers is due largely to the increase of drug-related offenses and thefts, according to police reports. As for assaults, there was actually a slight decrease, from 33 in 2013 to 30 in 2014.
The daytime crimes reported during the same period included 16 thefts and six for breaking and entering. The rest included somebody making a threatening statement with a knife at Self Hall, a fight between roommates at Self Hall, and a fight in front of Strong Hall. There was also one sexual offense in which a person touched another person without consent.
That sentiment was shared by Richie Hernandez, chair of the Student Safety Board on campus.
"I think with the numbers the way that they speak, campus is relatively safe," said Captain James Anguiano of the KU Public Safety Office.
Crime on the University campus
Crime 2013 2014
Assault 33 30
Drugs/ narcotics 107 177
Kidnapping 2 1
Larceny/ theft 193 239
Liquor law violations 37 41
Motor vehicle theft 5 4
Robbery 0 2
Sex offenses 9 7
Weapons violation 0 1
Source: KU Public Safety Office
"I do think that [students] should feel safe," Hernandez said. "I think they should always remain constantly aware of their surroundings and what's going on, but I know that KU's campus tries to come off as a safe space because I know we have KU PSO constantly patrolling."
Beyond campus, more students report feeling less safe in the Lawrence community at night than they do on campus. Among the survey respondents, 36 percent said they feel "not safe at all" or "somewhat unsafe" at night in the community.
"The increase of not feeling safe around Lawrence is probably due to the increased amount of attention put toward sexual assault," said Sgt. Trent McKinley, a Lawrence Police Department spokesman.
In the past year, the University has been in the news for its handling of sexual assault cases. In 2014 alone, the University received more than 120 sexual assault and sexual harassment complaints.
Members of the KU orientation staff haven't seen an extraordinary interest in crime from incoming students, said
Jessica Mattes, orientation program coordinator.
"Crime isn't something we go into deep discussions about because like the numbers show, there isn't much violent crime at KU," Mattes said.
Mattes said that most of the questions at orientation regarding safety are from parents who want to know how their sons or daughters can get around town without a car at night or contact someone for help if they don't have a cellphone.
To make campus safer, officials have installed security
SEE SAFETY PAGE 2
Gensler Architects' render of what Capitol-Federal Hall will look like when finished.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/GENSLER ARCHITECTS
The Campus Master Plan will cost the University $1.7 billion, KU official says
CASSIDY RITTER
@CassidyRitter
Amanda Painter completed her bachelor's from the University in 2007 and completed her master's in 2010. Painter, now assistant director for campus visits, said campus has changed a lot since her freshman year.
In 2014, the University implemented the Campus Master Plan, a 10-year plan for the future Lawrence and Edwards campuses. This plan will cost the University $1.7 billion, Paul Graves, deputy director for Design and Construction Management, said in an email.
This money comes from an Educational Building Fund, housing funds, parking fees, private gifts, Johnson County Triangle and a public-private partnership, according to the Campus Master Plan.
Projects for the plan will not affect student fees, Modig, architect and director of Design and Constructive Management, said in a public forum Nov. 16.
Progress on this plan is becoming evident to students with new changes on Daisy Hill and Jayhawk Boulevard. The plan proposes 61 changes, from parking garage options to research buildings to expanding the Lied Center.
"I've noticed a lot of new buildings," Painter said. "I feel like they've built new ones more than they've renovated old ones, which is okay, but even the engineering complex has new buildings and the residence halls."
The Campus Master Plan includes "extensive analysis and reports on spaces and classroom utilization; historic patterns and resources, land use, program accommodation, sustainability, coordination with the local community and other areas" according to the website.
The plan focuses on five areas of campus:a research partnership zone and research science
zone in West Campus, the 19th Street mixed-use zone near Stouffer Place Apartments, the Irving Hill zone near the Burge Union and South Slope zone, where the current School of Business is located.
According to the Campus Master Plan, the research zones will promote partnerships, start-ups and private enterprise along with economic development. The plan also said Stouffer Green, a "park-like open space," will be created in the Irving Hill zone. Another park for public events and activities will be added in the South Slope zone.
The mixed-use zone represents "partial redevelopment of the Stouffer Place site, with mixed-use residential, limited commercial and other student support space," according to the plan.
"By 2018, we plan to transform a long-overlooked section of the KU campus to reach a fuller potential. Through KU's Campus Master Plan even more of the Lawrence campus will become a hub of living, learning, discovery and professional growth for students, faculty and staff," Jeffery Vitter, provost and executive chair chancellor, said in his email to students, faculty and staff.