To the Editor:
Re: “Female Reports Attempted Rape Near Engineering Quad,” Sept. 27
As a young alumna who has not quite been able to fully let go of her attachment to the Cornell community (despite now living hundreds of miles away), I skim The Sun headlines pretty frequently. Imagine how alarmed I was today to read about what is only the latest in a string of sexual assaults and attempted assaults of women walking on campus — on the same day that the front page featured a photo of CUPD citing jaywalkers near Ho Plaza.
For students to be assaulted on campus is unacceptable, and Cornell needs to be more proactive, starting immediately. Sure, there are some public safety services currently available, such as the Blue Light Escorts, but any student can tell you that no one uses them — I certainly didn’t, despite the long, late-night walks back to campus I faced when I worked in The Sun offices. Clearly, we need a different solution. Some places to start might be better nighttime bus routes and more officers patrolling routes between campus and residences.
I have no doubt that reducing traffic accidents is a noble cause. But I look forward to reading the next Sun headline about CUPD’s proactive, creative and effective plan to keep students safe from violent crime in their community.
Meghan Hess ’10
Former Sun Senior Photographer