4 Page 6 -The Michigan Daily, Thursday, September 10, 1987 -U' safety precautions help prevent assault I Doily Photo by SCOTT UTUCHY Wearning Engineering junior Eric Holt listens as a Department of Public Safety employee warns him the anti-Apartheid shanty he is building on the Diag may have to come down since he has no permit authorizing the construction. Nat Sc., Chem. to be renovated By ELIZABETH ATKINS A woman studying in the Undergraduate Library until 2 a.m. decides to walk home alone. As she walks through the deserted Diag, someone grabs her from behind. She kicks, screams, scratches, and manages to run away. "What do I do now?" she thinks frantically. Campus security has prepared for such dangerous and frightening incidents by installing 65 emer - gency phones throughout campus, according to Robert Pifer, assistant director of University public safety. He said the phones automatically signal the campus security office when a caller picks up the receiver, and even if the caller doesn't have a chance to speak, Pifer said security officers can pinpoint the location of the call and will rush there immediately. BUT to prevent ever having to use the phones, Pifer recommends that students avoid situations where they would ever be alone. For example, the woman in the scenario couldhave prevented the assault by using Safewalk, a service of campus security where two vol - unteers - two women or a man and a woman - escort callers home from any destination within a 25- minute walk from the Under -- graduate Library. Julie Steiner, coordinator of the University's Sexual Assault Prevention and Awareness Center (SAPAC), said Safewalk will expand in the fall, providing seven- day a week service which is up from its previous five-day a week run. The hours - 8:00 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. - will remain the same, however. Steiner said the service was able to expand because the admin - istration chose the Safewalk committee as one of the recipients of the University's $1 million initiative to improve undergraduate life. Another anti-assault program on campus is the Nite Owl bus service, a fleet of four University vans which drive students to points around campus at night. The vans follow two different routes which go through such heavily student- populated areas as S. Forest and Catherine Streets. The vans run from 7 p.m. until 2 a.m. ALTHOUGH campus security and SAPAC have established these safety programs, students say they still feel uneasy about the campus at night. Tricia Posselius, an LSA senior, said, "I try not to walk around alone at night, but you can't base your more cautious attitude because he has heard of burglaries and muggings that have taken place around campus. Pifer said over 2,000 larcenies, 104 assaults, 48 arsons, and 11 robberies were reported to campus security in 1986. However, he said these numbers are not unusual for a university community. "I think we're pretty typical of most universities this size and with this type of population," he said. But he added, "If a lot of people didn't take unnecessary risks, we'd have a lot less assaults." Pifer said larceny - the most common campus crime - usually occurs because of carelessness. When students leave windows and doors open or unlocked it's an "open invitation" for theft, he said. Pifer also said students can prevent such crimes by locking their doors and windows and by becoming familiar with who is supposed to be in University residence halls.bHe said 75 to 80 percent of all campus larcenies could be prevented if people stopped outsiders from walking through. residence halls. Campus security must also deal with vandalism. In 1986, Pifer said 671 cases of malicious destruction were reported to security along with 321 cases of graffitti. He said the cleaning cost for ten square feet of graffitti costs the University $22 which averages about $30,000 each year. I I (Continued from Page 4) building to 1980s standards," he add- ed. The chemistry department faces similar challenges, but they hope the new chemistry building budgeted at $52 million will solve many of the problems. The new building will offer more to both students and faculty, said University architect Richard Glissman. The external structure will resemble the current buildings built in 1904 and 1948, but the interior will feature a 10,000 square foot atrium which will lead to a 500 seat lecture hall. The atrium will also serve as a lobby. Cather calls the new auditorium, "the best auditorium that the BLOOM COUNTY I'a Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan ALTERNATIVE STUDENT HOUSING We offer housing OF, BY and FOR STUDENTS. Co-op living is more personal than dorms, more social than apartments. For more information call or stop by the inter-Cooperative Council at the Michigan Union. hi; college will have," Ashe said, "(The new building) will be a big help in attracting new faculty. Facilities are crucial to getting the best people here and keeping them." Chemistry Prof. Nancy Konigsberg thinks the new building will enable her to teaching more effectively. "It is much more difficult to teach in an old building in front of 300 students hour after hour. "Even if you're the greatest actor or actress, it is tough to keep their interest if you don't have visual aid like they do in some of the newer buildings. So your flexibility is reduced in a building like this," she said. The renovations for the current chemistry buildings cannot begin until the new building is completed, said Cather. This phase will cost the University $12 million and will upgrade the office space and classrooms. Most of the existing laboratories will move to the new building, he said. Steiner ... advises common sense ri OI / / life on finding someone to walk home with." Posselius also said she is skeptical about the effectiveness of the campus safety phones., She said if someone attacked her, she would probably be unable to use the phone especially if an assailant completely immobilized her. Another LSA senior, Christine Hess, said "I can't imagine that a phone would help." She also said she has never used the Nite Owl or Safewalk because she is usually with friends at night. B U T she said when she is alone, "I'm really afraid of walking around alone at night. I'm an independent person and don't like depending on other people." Jeff Sherwood, an LSA senior, said although he does not generally feel his safety is threatened on campus, he recently developed a ReMA Ube Dailyj C~toiiedo a Watch for it in Room 4002 662-44141 *0bie r zt I r . 1 -1 Housing Information Office 1011 Student Activities Building, (313) 763-3164 The Housing Information Office can assist you with all your housing options and needs: " Residence Hall rooms " Family Housing apartments " Off-campus rental listings " Short-term housing " Mediation Service " Roommate Matching Service " Faculty/Staff Housing Referral " Professional Advisors to assist you Fall/Winter Hours: 8:00 a. m.-12:00 noon; 12:30-4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday Spring/Summer Hours: .4 C n t' ..f1.7n ~f~ A tI. L.... A .... A_ .. :1.,. F