COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — More than 600 students have signed a petition calling for increased safety measures on the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs (UCCS) campus.
This comes after two people were shot and killed in a UCCS dorm in February. Almost a month later, several students shared how they are feeling about their safety.
“After the initial incident... I did feel a little unsafe just not knowing all the details of what was going on. And it was just an awful situation that brought up a lot of emotions,” said Isabella Shannon, a senior studying biology at UCCS.
“After everything's kind of settled and we've had some more details, I feel a lot better and I definitely feel safe. I don't feel like there's a threat to me on campus or in the classroom, which is the most important. I can focus on my studies,” said Shannon.
She's one of many students asking for more safety measures on campus.
“Even just walking at night, there's not a lot of, like, lights around campus. I think they do that to, like, reduce light pollution, but also, like, what about, like, women's safety in, you know, the campuses openly and sometimes, you know, that's what you got to do,” said Shannon.
Dawson Burch, another senior at UCCS, said he feels the energy on campus hasn't been the same since the shooting.
“I feel like the whole campus was just kind of down. And I feel like our campus life is just everyone's just here to show up for school and leave. It used to be more lively,” said Burch.
He said it currently feels safe at school, but he had many safety concerns when he lived on campus.
“I have had some roommate experiences where they have been kicked out in multiple arguments but they could live with me on campus,” said Burch.
Burch said his roommate was 20 years older than him and was facing legal issues prior to living with him. He feels there should be more background checks.
“He had alcohol issues, stuff like that. And then the school finally kicked him out, probably after a semester of just going back and forth with him. But I just feel like a lot of people have that issue with roommates,” said Burch.
As of Wednesday afternoon, more than 650 students had signed a petition calling for more cameras to be installed outside of the dorms and student apartments.
“I think more cameras would probably help,” said Burch.
The petition also suggests requiring people to show an ID before entering classrooms.
“I think at the end of the day, the school... need(s) to step up and really like... show that they're fixing this and I think it's pretty obvious what they can do. It starts with the housing in the dorms so crackdown in there, take it seriously,” said Burch.
According to the university, there are currently cameras on campus.
UCCS provided News5 with a statement:
Safety has been and will continue to be something we think about and work to improve every day. Below is a list of a few of our campus safety resources and projects:
- We have a full-time campus police department who provide round-the-clock response to emergency and non-emergency situations relating to the safety and security of people and property associated with the University.
- UCCS Safe App - The app will send users important safety alerts and provide instant access to campus safety resources, such as Friend Walk, Virtual Safety Walk, and multiple ways to report an incident.
- While we currently have cameras on campus, a project was initiated in 2023 to increase the coverage of our cameras. This project should be completed later this year.
“I think the cameras are great. And at the end of the day, it's just taking every single report and situation seriously. Especially when there's stress involved. Like I said, people don't just threaten people for fun. It's always very, very serious. And it's better to, I think, take everything, like, at face value instead of waiting for it to get worse,” said Shannon.
Shannon said it's important for the university to take responsibility for student safety and she hopes all students can feel safe when they are trying to learn.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
