SSU Student Pedestrians Feel Unsafe
By Sal Barbagallo
Salem, Mass., May 15, 2017–Jamie Saxonis recently arrived at Salem State University before 8 a.m., swiped her card and drove to her usual spot on the second floor of the university’s parking garage. Everything is calm when it’s early, she said, but the feeling of safety quickly flees as the day goes on.
The worst came one Wednesday last December when she was walking through the garage to her car in the early afternoon after a Calculus class.
“A girl flew down the ramp in her car, took the corner fast and nearly ran me down in the process,” Saxonis said. “I yelled to her and she got out of the car, swore at me, then threatened to punch me.”
Safety on the SSU campus has been a concern for Saxonis, who has had many incidents with reckless drivers, and for many other students on campus. The main cause of concern seems to be the relationship between drivers and pedestrians, and perhaps the lack of stricter police enforcement..
Most of these altercations occur at two spots. The first are a pair of crosswalks on College Drive located on the university’s north campus. They connect Bowditch Hall with the walkway that leads to the center of North Campus. Both crosswalks are close to Loring Avenue where many cars turning onto College Drive are travelling at a fast speed.
Campus police stopped five drivers in March 2017 at this spot and gave all five verbal warnings, according to SSU Campus Police logs. The frequency of stops and method of discipline followed a similar trend during the other months this year, with verbal warnings rather than arrests or tickets.
Police favor this area due to the high traffic of both vehicles and pedestrians, according to Captain Richard Riggs.
“Our goal is to gain compliance and conformity, not generate funds for the Commonwealth,” he said. “We try to educate drivers when we stop them.”
Observations at this area suggest that educating drivers is not deterring them from speeding down the narrow two-lane road or cutting off pedestrians at the crosswalk, although Campus Police presence, notably most mornings around 9 a.m., reduced the amount of observable potential speeders.
A survey of ten students at the College Drive crosswalk during the week of May 1, 2017 concluded that a majority have had close calls in the crosswalk, or have seen reckless driving first-hand. One student reported seeing a driver approach the crosswalk while texting at the wheel.
The second spot with safety concerns is the university’s parking garage.
The 725 parking space, five-floor garage opened on SSU’s north campus in November 2015.
Both a four-car and two-car accident occurred in the garage during the week of April 24, 2017, according to Riggs. The garage is also a frequent location for minor fender benders and property damage.
“I’ve noticed damage to my car from parking in the garage. I called the campus police once and they didn’t seem to care about the damage or the drivers in the garage,” a sophomore biology major said. He asked to remain anonymous in order to avoid possible negative repercussions.
Students say they feel safer when there is a police presence to deter reckless driving, but the lapses in police coverage leave students more open to potential harm. The lack of authorized manpower hinders the campus police’s ability to provide more coverage, Riggs said. Retaining personnel has also contributed to the problem. The Campus Police are often not operating at their full 21 sworn-in officer authorized limit. And, Riggs notes, this limit has not been increased with the addition of the Marsh, Atlantic and Viking halls or the Frederick E. Berry Library.
Salem State University has expanded North and Central campuses, but has not addressed the issue of making the roadways near these places safer for students. The university and those who commute on roads within campus need to reevaluate their perception of how safe students feel.
“I would feel safer on campus if the warnings actually worked,” Saxonis said. “Sometimes hitting people in the wallet is the only way to teach them.”
