In an email to the entire student body last evening, Hofstra President Stuart Rabinowitz outlined a plan to amp up student safety on and off campus as well as turn the area around Hofstra’s campus into more of a “college town”.
As the six month anniversary of the off-campus shooting death of Andrea Rebello approaches, Rabinowitz and the school administration have devised a plan to make Hofstra a safer place to study, live and work.
Rabinowitz explained he has been working with a “Task Force on Safety and Security” for these improvements. This Task Force is chaired by Vice President of Student Affairs, Sandra Johnson, and features members of the Nassau County and Hempstead Police, Hofstra alumni and even the Mayor of Hempstead.
In case you missed it, here’s what Rabinowitz promised in his email.
1. Overnight shuttle service on and off campus
In addition to the train and entertainment shuttles, you’ll now start to see more Blue Beetles dropping students off at places in and around campus. The buses will pick up and drop off new designated stops 7 days a week starting Monday, October 21st.
2. More Pub Safe and Police Patrols
In case you’ve ever felt alone walking back from the bars or class late at night, that feeling will soon subside as Hofstra Public Safety and Nassau Police vow to step up the frequency of the campus patrols and drive around’s—that includes side streets where many off campus students reside.
3. Better lit walking routes and parking lots
Thanks to a deal with LIPA, there will be more lighting on California Ave and by our Law School buildings.
And thanks to a study by the Task Force, Hofstra has taken notice of where students walk most and “’preferred’ pathways going east/west and north/south on both the south and north campus were identified” wrote Rabinowitz.
As a result, there will be more lighting and emergency blue light phones where we walk most.
4. Making Hofstra a “college town”
If scrolling through lengthy school emails isn’t really you’re thing, you definitely missed the part where Rabinowitz described his plan to turn the empty space by Nassau Coliseum into a retail and entertainment destination for students.
Rabinowitz writes that “a comprehensive mix would make the area more attractive to our students and provide them with safe nighttime and weekend options” and to be on the look out for survey questions asking you what you brands you want in “Downtown Hofstra”.
Last year’s murder combined with the spree of recent off-campus robberies this semester have left Hofstra with a concerned community and negative publicity. These improvements are undeniably a step in the right direction, but are they it enough?
Do you think these changes will make you feel safer on and off campus? What else do you think Hofstra could be and should be doing to ensure student safety? Let us know in the comments below!
Sidney Madden 