Angelica Babiera | Contributor
Featured image: The opening of the new Community Safety Centre was tied to the 10th anniversary of the goSAFE program. | Amir Yazdanparast
York has opened a new Community Safety Centre in a bid to improve campus safety and support students.
The centre is part of a larger community-centric vision and mandate for safety at York, according to Samina Sami, executive director of community safety. Consultations are scheduled this fall and winter to shape the department.
“Our aim is to provide a welcoming ‘storefront’ where members of the York community can drop in for help and support,” says Sami. “It also will be a place where members of our community can come to share their ideas for safety. In addition, we are aiming to work collaboratively across the York community on safety initiatives and the new centre supports these goals.”
Sami says York hopes to create a supportive environment for community members when they need help. It is also a centralized hub for contact and referral for safety-related services.
“We also hope to increase the involvement of community members in our overall efforts to make York a safe place to live, learn, teach and work,” she adds.
Second-year criminology student Medina Torlak welcomes this development: “I have taken a lot more evening classes this year and it puts my mind at ease knowing that I am not alone. It also works in reassuring my family of my safety as well.”
Torlak tells Excalibur her main concern with safety at York is being alone at night, which might raise the risk of incidents due to lower visibility and decreased foot traffic.
“I was told to be careful when alone and walking around campus at night, and it was always a major fear I placed in the back of my mind during the summer months before first year.”
Her perceptions shifted as she became more familiar with the campus. Torlak notes that safety is taken very seriously at York.
“I like that we’re updated with a security bulletin and programs like the goSAFE app exist,” she adds.
Second-year sociology student Emmanuel Shada says there should be more police officers in areas with known safety concerns, but still applauds York for its efforts.
“Kudos to York and the safety department for taking initiative media and actually trying to address the problems head on. I think this will definitely help staff and students when it comes to safety,” he adds.
Although Shada does not have personal concerns about safety at York, he says late night courses might be dangerous for women walking alone to parking lots and bus stops.
“I don’t hear many stories of incidents on campus. Usually, the robberies are in The Village and I don’t go there so I’m not particularly concerned. I always stay alert of my soundings just in case,” he adds.
