Crime sparks campus safety measures

NORFOLK, Va. - With only a few days left until final exams at ODU, the student focus is not fully on studying. As students shuffle back and forth to their last late night classes or all-nighter study sessions, part of the focus here is on safety.

"I have an evening class that starts at 4:20 PM," said freshman Diana Benavides. "And now it gets dark at 4:30 and I definitely don't feel comfortable walking back from my class."

The fear is a growing problem on campus, a consequence of a recent rash of crimes on and near the Norfolk site, including a murder just off campus, although the victim was not an ODU student.

A Facebook group called "ODU is not safe" has 552 members as of Thursday night, admittedly a small part of the university's more than 14,000 undergraduates. Police statistics reveal only one murder in the ODU area since the beginning of the year. But they show 28 robberies, a 75% increase from 2007.

Sarah Davis works in the music department and says the six students she supervises take their own measures for safety.

"They usually walk out in groups or they use the campus escort service," Davis said.

After a series of safety seminars and meetings, the school has responded with initiatives to prevent crime. In a letter from ODU's acting president sent to students, the school says it will add police patrols around campus where many of the crimes occur. Additionally, students will have an expanded shuttle to service off campus housing, and the school will form a safety task force of faculty, staff, and students to make sure safety is always improving.

Related Link: Personal Safety Tips From Va. State Police