Developing measured responses to the robberies

In recent weeks, the St. Joe’s community has been shaken by news of four off-campus armed robberies victimizing St. Joe’s students either at their off-campus residences or in areas surrounding the main campus.

A fifth incident was communicated in a Jan. 27 announcement on The Nest, detailing an incident involving a St. Joe’s student and an unidentified assailant. The student was pushed to the ground by the assailant, but was not robbed and arrived safely back at his residence hall before reporting the incident to Public Safety later that day.

With notices like these arriving in our inboxes each week since the beginning of the semester, it is understandable to be afraid for our personal safety and the safety of our friends, especially if we live off-campus and frequently walk home after late nights in the library.

What we shouldn’t forget is that these robberies appear to be part of a specific pattern and are not wholly indicative of the safety of our on and off-campus communities. There are steps we can take as students to protect ourselves until we know more about the circumstances surrounding the recent robberies.

At St. Joe’s, we have access to around-the-clock vehicle escort service which will transport us directly home, even if we live in off-campus housing. Students should not be reluctant to call Public Safety for an escort home after dark, even if there is a wait time or they are with a large group of people.

Of course, the university also has a responsibility to use its resources to ensure the safety of its students, taking both precautionary and reactionary measures in response to the recent incidents, as it has done and should continue to do. These measures can supplement our own precautions.

The recent stationing of Public Safety vehicles in areas immediately surrounding the university provide peace of mind to students who may be wary of walking off campus after the recent robberies.

However, certain details of the new patrols in “off campus areas surrounding the university,” promised in Jan. 15 and Jan. 24 emails from the Office of Public Safety & Security, remain unclear.

Providing students with specifics about where and when they can expect additional patrol cars to be stationed, whether via email or on The Nest, may alleviate some widespread fears about walking outside of the main campus, especially in the dark.

Communication from the university surrounding these incidents has been, for the most part, timely, accurate and thorough, reassuring the school community that any necessary updates will be relayed in the same manner.

Even as we take common sense precautions to protect ourselves, we need to remember the facts we do have which point to these robberies being part of a trend, rather than the new normal.

The perpetrators’ identities in the majority of the recent armed robberies remain unknown, giving way to rampant speculation. We need to be wary of spreading alarmist rumors on social media or in conversation. Any information about the recent incidents that has not been verified by the Office of Public Safety & Security or the Philadelphia Police Department cannot be trusted as fully accurate.

We don’t need to change our perception of St. Joe’s as a relatively safe place to live and go to school. Communications from the Office of Public Safety & Security have stated that the Philadelphia Police Department considers robberies of cell phones to be a citywide problem. Police have also said that there is no particular school being targeted with the recent robberies, so there is no need to feel especially unsafe as a St. Joe’s student.

Statistics can help put emotional reactions in perspective, so here are some calming facts: St. Joe’s  has one of the lowest rates of on campus crime among colleges in the area, according to a 2017 analysis by Philly News website Billy Penn. Additionally, crime statistics from the Philadelphia Police Department show that armed robberies in the city have decreased from the same time period one year ago–the second and third weeks of January.

Allowing ourselves to become paralyzed with fear can have negative psychological effects, and can cause racial stereotyping of members in the surrounding area. We can take steps to protect ourselves without falling victim to alarmism. We’re smarter than that.

—The Editorial Board

This week’s Editorial Board is comprised of the Editor-in-Chief, Managing Editor, Opinions Editor, Editorial Page Editor, Assistant Opinions Editor, Assistant Lifestyle Editor, and Assistant News Editor. This editorial reflects the views of the board and not the entire Hawk staff.