University of Alberta students troubled by rise in security incidents on campus – 225 in January alone

Some University of Alberta students are sounding the alarm over safety concerns, saying they have seen an increase in social disorder and crime on campus.

“I’ve seen people doing drugs in the stairwells, I’ve seen students getting yelled at and screamed at by people who don’t seem to be students here,” said U of A student Racquel.

“It really sucks. I think it’s not fair to us, and it’s not fair to the people who pay a lot of money to come here.”

The university’s safety and security committee acknowledges there has been an increase in security incidents in the last few months. It said safety enhancements was a “strategic priority for the University of Alberta.”

“The U of A has a diverse, community-representative Safety and Security Committee that regularly assesses the successes, challenges and current state of safety and security across the U of A’s campuses,” said James Allen with the U of A safety and security committee in a statement. “In addition, we have a number of initiatives, programs and resources in place to keep our campuses and community members safe.

“The U of A also has a dedicated EPS Liaison Constable to assist in the support of vulnerable persons.”

Incidents mirror disorder in Edmonton, committee says

The committee says the current situation is similar to the social disorder seen around the city.

“Like the city, we have a campus-specific publicly available general security incident log,” added Allen. “Quantitative incident trends are one indicator we regularly use to inform campus safety and security, and any necessary mitigation tactics. While the current increases may not seem significant to some, we recognize that any incident can be worrisome to those that regularly use the space.”

For students, the increase in security incidents is a frightening change for the worse.

“Increased concerns, increased comments, increased shares of frustrations is making it seem like the issue is being intensified and a lot more needs to be done,” said Christian Fotang, the vice-president of external affairs with the University of Alberta Students’ Union.

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Fotang wants the various levels of government to intervene.

“What we hope to see is better collaboration between the city government, provincial government, us as a student union, and the university in terms of addressing those safety concerns around transit stations,” said Fotang.

Centered around university’s LRT stop

Some of the concerns are centered around the university’s LRT stop.

“We’ve been lobbying the city government for more money to be put towards more peace transit officers, as well as social workers like the Bent Arrow Society, basically for further supporting and funding the community outreach transit team,” added Fotang.

“But we’ve also been calling for things such as improving lighting and improving cell reception and Wi-Fi signaling, fixing dim lights – just putting these measures that just make people feel safe, as well as calling for other immediate solutions such as funding housing, as well as wellness centres around Edmonton.”

According to the university’s incident log, there were 225 reported incidents in January alone – a 33 per cent increase from just before the pandemic. It’s a worrying statistic for some.

“I carry dog spray with me when I’m on the LRT, and I don’t wear headphones and don’t listen to music because I’m aware and afraid that something could happen,” said Racquel.

“I’ve seen some people say they’d like to see peace officers have a more aggressive presence on the LRT.

“I think there are pros and cons, but to increase safety, I think it might be necessary.”

Meanwhile Alberta’s government says it is stepping up against gender-based violence at post-secondary institutions in the province, vowing to keep campus communities safe.

The UCP is providing $2.5 million to train students, staff, and faculty to address gender-based violence.

That funding also led to a provincewide survey, which launched this month, to gather information and feedback about gender-based violence on Alberta’s campuses. The survey will be used to help institutions implement strategies to address gender-based violence on campus.