Letter to the Editor

Madeline Alburtus | Class of 2021

This article is in response to an op-ed posted Sept. 16 titled “We need you, Wash. U.”

While I receive the bulletins and news of criminal activity occurring near campus with the same concern as my peers, I find my reaction to be quite different. Calling upon Washington University to increase the number of patrols and officers brings about the same distaste as when I saw the “Call the Washington University Police Department about aggressive panhandlers” sign inside United Provisions.

Unlike some of my higher-income peers, I have not had the privilege of always feeling safe where I lived. My neighborhood was no suburban dream and doors were kept locked. I am familiar with the sounds of gunshots and police sirens. I left my serving job every night at 3 a.m. with pepper spray already positioned, just in case. I am familiar with danger in my backyard.

It is time for us, the students, to remember that there is a latter part to our name. Washington University is in St. Louis.

It is easy to call upon the University to make things safer because they have the money, resources and concerned parents to make things happen. However, I challenge my peers to think outside of the Wash. U. bubble. How will an additional police presence affect the greater St. Louis community? Will your subsidized Uber drivers be tipped, or should they earn the bare minimum to deliver you safely? Should the University be responsible for all the infrastructure from the Clocktower to Tower Grove, where some students reside?

I am not freeing the University of all responsibility, as I am also critical of the parking, housing and Overpass situations. I simply consider the fact that past our time here, our safety is our own responsibility. Let Wash. U. help where they have agency and take control of your own safety elsewhere.

Sign up for the email edition

Stay up to date with everything happening at Washington University and beyond.

Subscribe