Our campuses are deliberately open places. Year round, we welcome members of the public and offer countless programs beyond our usual research and teaching activities. We are proud to be a public university, and to welcome surrounding communities into our facilities and spaces.
As all public entities know, this comes with some challenges. Eighteen months ago, we felt an unusual spike in crime and disruption on North Campus - primarily in and around HUB Mall and the Fine Arts Building. At a scheduled town hall, students, staff, and professors gathered to share their concerns and personal experiences. A close look at our Protective Services statistics showed that rates of some crimes on campus were indeed rising, albeit slowly.
This left us with a challenging question:
How could we respond to those incidences and ensure our community's safety without closing down our intentionally open and public campuses?
The vast majority of our community have no negative encounters to speak of. Nonetheless, the events of that winter spurred us to understand what was going on, and we convened the Campuses and Facilities Safety and Security (CFSS) Working Group to help find solutions.
Here is the conclusion we've drawn:
We believe we can respond through a non-intrusive systems approach. Several distinct components are required for this approach including infrastructure, policies and - most importantly - people.
To support the infrastructure component, Facilities & Operations staff are now installing physical barriers to prevent access to remote areas, such as stairways and basements, when buildings are closed to the public for the night. Crews have been repairing doors, updating access systems, and finding ways to secure buildings after-hours if they are connected to buildings open later, such as the hospital.
Protective Services has hired extra peace officers and guards to focus on higher-risk areas. This "community action team," or CAT, is now beginning a one-year trial.
Building managers are working with faculties and departments to identify opportunities to shorten building hours to prevent unwanted access.
A large project is underway in HUB Mall to limit after-hours access to the residents and tenants who live there.
To complement these infrastructure updates, we also urge every member of our community to take an active role in campus safety.
Here's what you can do:
- Lock your things: never tempt would-be thieves with unattended computers, phones, or bags.
- Close and lock doors behind you and take special care when you're the last to leave.
- Watch out for people following you, and don't let strangers into locked spaces.
- Never tape or jam doors that are meant to be locked.
- Take special care when working or studying alone. Plan ahead and follow work alone policies for your area. And remember, if you are a supervisor, you are responsible for the safety of your staff and students.
- Use the Safewalk program, which is available to staff, students, faculty, and members of the public.
- Something not right? Trust your instincts. Call Protective Services at 780-492-5050.
University of Alberta campuses are open, welcoming, and safe places to learn, work, study, enjoy culture and recreation, and visit. With these minor changes, and the open and compassionate eyes of our full community, that is how they will remain.
Authors
James Allen, AVP Operations and Maintenance
Rob Munro, Acting AVP Risk Management Services
Visit the University of Alberta Safety and Security Committee (UASSC) website, which contains the working group's full report and contact information.University of Alberta Safety and Security Committee (UASSC) website, which contains the working group's full report and contact information.