Washington University is a bubble. Students hardly get off campus, except for the Delmar Loop, and frequently their only knowledge of the St. Louis area consists of “don’t go north of Delmar Boulevard,” “the Metro is unsafe,” “don’t cross the river” or “stay in the county.” I know because that was the impression I was given from other students my first two years here. If it weren’t for some of the classes I’ve opted to take since then, I would continue to believe it.

Because let’s face it, Wash. U. doesn’t try to change these opinions. There’s no mandatory one-credit seminar to teach students about the history of segregation and discrimination in St. Louis, to explain how that discrimination led to the severe concentration of poverty through our city, to discuss the implications of the “Great Divorce” between the city and the county (such as skewed crime data), to understand the number of vacant buildings through the city or to challenge why Delmar Boulevard has become the de facto dividing line. It’s hardly even part of orientation to learn anything about the city or leave campus beyond the Loop.

So when I hear about Wash. U. centralizing its safety systems to a small radius around campus, it makes me think twice about how Wash. U. policy reinforces many opinions that continue to segregate our city.

I want to challenge why Wash. U. won’t support its students that live farther from campus, farther from Washington University Police Department patrols and blue lights, farther into the city. If you look at a map of the city-county boundary and the map for the Campus2Home shuttle, the route boundaries predominantly cover areas in the county aside from Skinker-DeBaliviere which would be the closest city neighborhood to the University. The Campus2Home shuttle, as well as the new partnership with Uber, does not extend east past DeBaliviere Avenue, which is barely in the city. Why not expand transportation services farther into the city? Why is there a larger geographic focus on the county than the city?

I don’t want Wash. U. to consider extending its transportation services east because I feel it’s any less safe in the city, but rather because I feel the absence of these services further discourages students from exploring or moving to the city. It pushes students into expensive Wash. U. off-campus housing, overpriced apartments on the Loop or gentrifying neighborhoods just north of the Loop.

Wash. U. needs to address the ways in which its policies, particularly those involving student safety, shape the perceptions of its student body and discourages engagement in the St. Louis community. Wash. U. should also consider evaluating what the basis of their safety procedures is—is it predominantly in response to white upper-class parents fearing for their children’s safety? If Wash. U. wants to protect its students, it should join forces with community leaders and organizations that seek to dismantle the segregation and inequality in our city, improve public transportation, strengthen public schools and increase access to healthcare and affordable healthy food options. You can police all you want, but it will do little to address the problem and may in fact exacerbate the problem by validating existing fears and prejudices.