The Student Newspaper of Saint Joseph’s University
Volume XCV | Est. 1929 | www.sjuhawknews.com
Feb. 1, 2017
Hawk Hill responds to executive orders ANA FAGUY ’19 Editor in Chief
Sorrority sisters greet their new members on bid day in O’Pake Upper Gym (Photo by Luke Malanga, ’20).
Covering more ground Crime on campus not taken lightly CHARLEY REKSTIS ’20 Assistant News Editor Two masked men, one of whom had a handgun, approached a student walking home on Overbrook Avenue near N 58th Street on Jan. 24 at 9:15 p.m. The men pulled the victim behind Overbrook Avenue Gospel Hall and she started to scream, which caused the perpetrators to flee the scene and allowed the student to call the police. “I am focused very heavily on trying to prevent these things by deploying people, putting a lot of options out there for transportation, and hiring armed police,” said Arthur Grover, director of the Office of Public Safety and Security. In addition, there is a safety option called Sound Grenade that was created for students on college campuses, like St. Joe’s, that they can use in times where they feel unsafe. “The CEO was looking for a more useful defense tool for his sister who was in college at the time. He gave her a personal alarm and she loved it, and all of her friends wanted it and that was kind of what got the initial momentum of college campuses,” said ROBOCOPP’s Marketing Director, Jill Turner. Sound Grenade is the size of a USB drive and when the key is pulled out of the device, it makes a 120 decibel noise to alert the surrounding public of danger. “These types of [safety devices], I think, can be useful and I have no issue at all with students using them,” Grover said. “These types of [devices] for students to utilize for their own public safety are certainly not disagreeable to me, but I think it makes sense for a person to make a judgement on.” Grover generally regards “City Ave. as being safe.” However, he does suggest that students avoid walking alone at night.
“It’s always my preference for students to use our free transportation services (shuttles and escort vans) rather than walking from 63rd St.,” Grover said. Students who live down near the Overbrook Train Station find the walk fearsome once it becomes dark and frequently make
A St. Joe’s student walks past the corner of Overbrook and 58th (Photo by Luke Malanga ’20).
use of the transportation provided for them. “I definitely think once it becomes dark outside it becomes a concern for me,” Jackie Boran, ’17, said. “I try to take Public Safety or drive to campus to avoid walking in the dark at all costs, especially with the recent and past incidents that have happened.” The stretch from St. Joe’s to Overbrook is an area that students utilize on a daily basis going to and from classes and their residences. “The fact that this last incident occurred a block away from campus is really concerning to me because a lot of students park on
the 5800 block of Overbrook,” Boran said. “They drive to campus thinking that they are safe because they are within a block. Then everything they are trying to avoid happens. The fact that that it was literally within the perimeter of our bubble is concerning.” However, Grover wants to assure students that the blue lights can be utilized and are still effective. “Blue lights are all around campus but with the proliferation of cell phones some have called into question the utility of blue lights,” Grover said. “I don’t share that view. I think blue lights are a critically important piece of our technology here on campus.” This brings into question whether safety devices, like the one mentioned before, will help with safety where the blue lights are not in reach and if the USB-like alert systems will be used instead of blue lights in the future. “There has to be knowledge of the population of what these things are,” Grover said. “Somebody is pulling this key and a noise is being made, if it’s ignored or not appreciated, it’s a missed opportunity. I see these noise augmentation devices and blue lights as being complimentary as to how we approach safety on campus.” Boran believes that the implementation of more patrolmen around campus will show students that St. Joe’s does care and will take the necessary precautions to keep the community safe. “I think this affects a large amount of the student population and I think that Public Safety should increase the amount of cars on patrol because just seeing a public safety car sends the signal that ‘hey we are on the lookout and we are here for you’,” Boran said.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order blocking citizens of seven predominantly Muslim countries from entering the United States for 90 days. Anyone traveling from Iraq, Iran, Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Libya, and Somalia to the U.S. will be barred from entering the country. The executive order also indefinitely suspends Syrian refugees from entering the the country. Students, staff, and faculty have been reacting across Hawk Hill since the news broke, and a campus march, SJU March for All, was planned by students and was held on Jan. 31. Saint Joseph’s University came together and marched from the “Synagoga and Ecclesia in Our Time” statue in front of the Chapel of Saint Joseph to the St. Ignatius statue in front of Merion Hall. Niki VanAller, ’17, was one of the students who began the conversation about having a march on campus. “It is against our community values at St. Joe’s,” VanAller said. “Categorically there is no way around it - we need to be welcoming to all people.” Another student who was at the forefront of the planning was Peter Ferris, ’18. “We decided that we are not going to try and make any particular big statement or anything,” Ferris said. “All we are trying to do really is stand in solidarity with immigrants and refugees, especially in the spirit of the values at St. Joe’s.” According to VanAller, the organizers reached out to everyone with a positive message. “We are not trying to be anti-ban or anti-Trump; it is more of a message of pro-immigrant. We stand with others,” VanAller said. “That is the impetus behind it. We are meant to have inclusivity whether it is faithbased or values-based. It is a moral thing.” After news spread of President Trump’s executive order, St. Joe’s administration released two statements, one by Cary Anderson, Ed.D., vice president for Student Life and Associate Provost and one by Jeanne F. Brady Ph.D., Provost and vice president for Academic Affairs.
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Alex Worden '18 make signs ahead of the “SJU March For All” (Photo by Joey Toczylowski ’19).