In addition to SAFE programs offered through UW Transportation Services, Associated Students of Madison is also attempting to incorporate programs into the university that directly affect campus safety.
ASM recently appointed UW-Madison senior Sol Grosskopf the position of Campus Safety Initiatives Coordinator to plan and execute all campus safety efforts.
Job duties of the new coordinator include reinitiating the successful Neighborhood Watch program and to work with SAFE on how to improve its services. This person will work to coordinate efforts on campus in order to make them more '""accessible to students,"" Brittany Wiegand, Chair of ASM, emphasized.
Although the UWPD and other university programs appear to be doing their best to ensure a safe environment, sometimes students cannot help but feel uneasy.
""I generally feel safe in well-lit areas when it isn't too dark, but there are many times when I have to remain in meetings late and I do not feel comfortable walking home,"" Wiegand said.
Just two months ago, a student was held at gunpoint on Langdon St. while walking back to her residence. Although she remained unharmed, her two assailants left with her laptop computer and cash.
According to Cpt. Mary Schauf of the MPD, downtown Madison is an urban environment and being mindful is a must.
Even though the Madison Police Department has patrols on the streets 24/7, safety begins with the individual and everyone has his or her part to play.
Jenn Watanabe, a UW-Madison senior, shared this sentiment.
""At night I try to avoid side streets and darker areas. I like to take busy, well-lit streets when I can,"" she said.
UW-Madison junior Page Mieritz uses caution as well when walking home alone.
""When leaving the library after 10:30 p.m. I always take routes home that have more traffic or are lighted better,"" she said. ""I also make sure I never listen to music when walking home, just in case anything were to happen, I would be able to hear it.""
Locking the door to your residence whether you're there or not are basic things that are easy to do. If there are multiple residents it is unwise to be courteous and leave the door unlocked. Schauf cautioned that too often this leads to convenience burglaries.
""If they know doors will be unlocked, [unwanted visitors] go right there,"" she said.
Schauf also stressed the hours when it is best to travel the city with a buddy, noting that crimes for Downtown spike between the hours of 12 to 3 a.m. This is also the time for the most physical and sexual assaults, which are mostly acquaintance-related and alcohol-involved in Madison.
""The time for a person to need a buddy is when you lose your ability to function on your own,"" Schauf advised. ""If you're going to a party and you're going to get trashed, have someone to watch your back. Have someone with you.""
However, several sexual assaults during fall 2008 proved that sometimes it is best for students to walk outside with friends even if they are sober. Two assaults on E. Washington St. and N. Henry St. left victims feeling ill at ease.
Many students love to entertain, so Schauf offered up certain precautions when throwing house parties.
""The best thing to do is invite people you know,"" she said. ""Would you invite a burglar, a thief, a predator? Too often people think, 'I'm just inviting students, this is all good,' but there are students who have been convicted of these things.""
When in doubt, Joel Plant, assistant to Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, advises to defer to students and officials.
""Rely on each other and get to know one another, the people around you,"" he said.
And although 2008 brought an unusually high number of homicides to the Madison area, Plant said historically it is a safe city.
""There's always a desire to draw a trend or conclusion, and in most cases it's inaccurate to do that. Our crime rates in a specific population are as low as or comparable to other cities.""
