A few weeks ago, an incident occurred at UW-Madison that hit a little closer to home. The murder of a student near UW-Madison’s campus frightened fellow students, an emotional response which they have the right to feel. Landlords have since been replacing locks and doors to prevent future break-ins. Another recent event occurred near UW-Stout killing three students. A house fire on April 5 broke loose killing students due to smoke inhalation. The fire alarms were working, yet somehow three lives were lost. Whether or not alcohol was a factor was unknown. These events leave many questions unanswered. How safe is Madison? How safe are our houses? How safe is a place like Platteville?

As far as Platteville goes, I feel safe here, in my room or walking the streets. Even in Madison, safety is hardly ever the topic on my mind. There have been times where I have felt uncomfortable due to a stranger’s company, and it’s always worse if this stranger seems intoxicated or extra friendly, but as a male the situation may be much lighter for me than it may for a female. As for safety for those who travel campus at night, and have an unsafe feeling, security boxes are great, but are lacked off campus. Even on campus, there are several areas that are poorly lit. Walking alone may seem unsafe, especially when passing through one of these zones.

UW-Madison has a Safe Walk program that students can use for free in order to be safely escorted to various places. A program like this would work great in Platteville. Students studying long into the night somewhere on campus could simply call the hotline and have someone walk with them to their destination.

Platteville is a much smaller campus within a small town. But that doesn’t mean safety isn’t an issue. Fires don’t only occur in larger towns, and you never know when someone could break in or attack you on a sidewalk. These are not possibilities that should be ruled out, so make yourself aware. Lock your doors, check your fire alarms and if anything seems somewhat faulty contact your landlord. I would also suggest you always have someone you can call, who could walk with you at night to deter possible violence.