Working closely with the Dean of Students Office and University Police, Student Council representatives plan on speeding up changes needed to make the community safer.
"My main concern is that it's been taking too long," said College Rep. Nathan Cook.
The recent armed rape of a University student in her home has put safety at the forefront of most people's minds.
"I think we've probably never had a situation where the students feel this unsafe, where it's deteriorated this far," Cook said.
Representatives plan on raising money to fund safety measures such as building a footbridge across the Lambeth area railroad tracks, expanding Escort service and adding more blue light phones both on and off grounds.
Although there has been much talk in the past about improving safety at the University, College Rep. Andrew Woodson said Council members now plan to take steps beyond the same old rhetoric and actively make a difference.
"In a lot of ways, it makes it more urgent in light of what happened," said Woodson, who is heading up a team of Council members with a safety focus.
"We're not going to be just sitting in an office somewhere. We're going to be out there talking to our constituents and finding out how to make the community safer," he said.
One of the ideas being discussed is the formation of a safety task force by the Dean of Student's office, said Council President Taz Turner.
"It would just help us to move faster," Turner said.
"I hope students' voices will be heard on this. It's the students who know where the problems are," he said.
"Even myself, I don't feel safe walking home any more," Woodson said.
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