For most Boston University students, safety concerns in Allston are a fact of life. With several assaults and robberies reported in the area in the last few months, students have accepted the fact that the area is dangerous, and yet weekend after weekend intoxicated freshmen flock westward in droves in search of parties.
But when Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore sent out an email to all students on Wednesday announcing that BU has hired Boston Police Department officers to patrol the area west of campus on weekends from now through commencement, the severity of the danger reached a new height, at least in the way that it was communicated to students who usually go uninformed about violent incidents off campus.
After a slew of reported incidents in the area this year, it is clear that something needed to be done to increase security. Adding BPD officers to the area can only be beneficial in promoting student safety both on and off campus, which, of course, should be one of the primary goals of the BU administration.
However, it seems as though the email announcement came somewhat out of the blue, leaving students to wonder if it was a direct response to last week’s alleged assault of a BU student in Allston. But if this is the case, students should be questioning why it is that the incident was not reported directly to students through BU’s text message alert system, or at least an email notification. Yes, the incident technically took place off campus. But it occurred in an area that BU students frequent, with many living nearby, making it a direct issue of campus security.
With increased law enforcement presence or without, students still need to be smart. The fact is, no matter how safe we may feel walking down the familiar thoroughfare of Commonwealth Avenue, we still live in a city, and the area just past West Campus happens to be one of the more dangerous parts of the Boston area. Having more BPD officers stationed there is certainly a smart idea, and the university would be foolish not to put this increased focus on safety. But we can all make BPD’s job a lot easier by being safe and smart when we decide to flood the Allston streets in search of a good time.
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