Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, February 20, 1992 TAG: 9202200227
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: By KATHY LOAN
DATELINE: RADFORD LENGTH: Medium
PANEL TAKES LOOK AT ANTI-CRIME SAFETY ISSUES
Increased safety on and off campus was the focus of Tuesday's meeting of a town-gown group.The panel supported increased lighting for several streets around Radford University and heard that a campus safety escort service is being reorganized.
The City-University Joint Advisory Commission on Public Affairs approved a list of 10 areas that students said needed more lighting and voted to send the recommendations to Jim Hurt, city engineer, for his review.
The Off Campus Student Council recently asked students to help identify poorly lighted streets and areas. The results were compiled and the streets checked by a council member. Commission member Bill Yerrick, director of telecommunications at Radford, suggested the commission should go on record as wanting council to make increased lighting a priority.
Radford Police Commander Jonny Butler, another commission member, has said at previous meetings that the poorly lighted areas students identified are also high-crime areas.
In another safety matter, the board heard from Tom Shoemaker, assistant dean of students, that a campus safety escort service, disbanded last fall, will start again March 1.
Kappa Delta Rho, a social fraternity, ran the escort service for several years before increasing use made it difficult for the group to be solely responsible for the service.
"It was an increasing commitment,"' Shoemaker said. "They were being called out at all times of the evenings and weekends."
The new escort service will cover the campus and a two-block radius surrounding the campus, Shoemaker said. Two-person teams will work three-hour shifts 10 p.m.- 1 a.m. Sundays through Wednesdays and 11 p.m.-2 a.m. Thursdays through Saturdays.
If the new program is successful, the coverage area may be expanded and car service may be added, Shoemaker said.
Each fraternity will be responsible for providing escort service one week per semester, providing 15 members to be trained by campus police.
Volunteers will be stationed at the campus police station where employees will forward escort requests to them. The escorts will use police radios and have proper identification.