The Downtown campus has been frequently referenced as the unsafe campus of ASU, associated with loitering homeless personnel and a busy business district.
But is the Downtown campus truly unsafe?
Nonprofit leadership and management Junior Joe Pettinato, ASASUD safety committee chair, said the Downtown campus is safe as long as students are aware of what is going on around them.
“By default of the campus being in an urban environment there are stereotypes that ensue where people think it is unsafe down here,” he said. “The reality of it is that if students practice practical safety measures and common sense they should feel just as safe as (in) any other campus.”
Pettinato said he not only feels safe because he knows how to properly utilize his common sense but because of the partnerships ASU has with the Phoenix Police Department and the Copper Square Ambassadors.
“ASU has taken great precaution and preparation in making sure the Downtown campus is a safe place for students,” he said. “That is not to say there is no crime, but the idea that almost everywhere I go there is a police officer in sight or an Ambassador available for escort makes me feel much more comfortable.”
The services downtown are available whether or not students choose to use them, said Don Veitch, an ASU police-aid. He said one of the major difference between the Downtown campus and ASU’s other campuses is that the Downtown campus is not self contained.
“We deal a lot more with the general public here, whether it be good or bad,” Veitch said. “There is a homeless transient that makes some people uncomfortable, but I haven’t ever seen it affect the students.”
Veitch said one of the best aspects of the Downtown campus is the idea of living in the heart of the city.
“We are the dean’s diamond in the rough,” he said. “Phoenix loves us and we love Phoenix.”
The downtown experience has not been as fortuitous for journalism freshman Rebecca Anne Edelman who was mugged two Light Rail stops north of the campus.
“I was walking back from the Light Rail when a large man rolled up on his bike and demanded I give him all the money I had,” she said. “I had no money to give the homeless guy, but a friend who was with me gave him 10 bucks.”
Edelman said she had never had any problems in downtown Phoenix and had never felt unsafe on campus until she was mugged.
“It wasn’t a huge loss but the experience was – I couldn’t move,” she said. “I was in a business suit and a pair of heels and had just gotten back from a conference. I couldn’t believe what was happening.”
Unlike Edelman’s altercation with the homeless man, Bruce Tuttle, the Sbarro assistant manager, said he has only had pleasant experiences with the homeless people.
“Most of the people around here are from the Westward Ho and actually aren’t homeless,” he said. “I’m friends with most of the homeless people and the people from the Westward Ho. There is really nothing to be afraid of.”
The Assistant Manager said he has been working at Sbarros for about a year and was originally a Subway employee of the location also located on campus. He said the worst the homeless people have ever done is dig through the trash cans.
“They just mind their own business and that’s it; I’ve never seen any run-ins with students,” he said. “I never feel unsafe. These guys have my back. They are like soldiers of the revolution.”
Contact the reporter at jmabercr@asu.edu
