By Stephen Oman
Murphy News Service
There has been a “concerning rise” in crime on the U campus this fall, said Pamela Wheelock, vice president of University Services.
The University of Minnesota has sent 16 crime alerts to students via email since the semester began, and several of those alerts contained more than one incident.
The incidents are not only occurring in neighborhoods surrounding the campus but two incidents in the last two months have occurred on campus itself.
On Nov. 11, a student studying in a hallway in Anderson Hall on the university’s West Bank was approached by a man who displayed a handgun, according to the crime alert. The man demanded the student’s laptop computer, but she screamed and the suspect fled.
The university also sent alerts via text for students to shelter in place on the West Bank given that the suspect was armed and at large.
On Dec. 15, a student was robbed in the Carlson School of Management, also on the University’s West Bank. The student was studying in the building’s atrium when a suspect approached him and demanded his laptop, the crime alert said. The victim gave up his laptop but chased the suspect out of the building. During the chase the suspect dropped the laptop and it was recovered by the victim. The suspect claimed to have a gun but never brandished one.
In both incidents inside buildings on campus there was footage of suspects. The crime alert for the incident in Anderson Hall was accompanied by a picture of a person of interest, that person was later cleared of any involvement.
In the incident in the Carlson School of Management, the alert was accompanied by a short surveillance video which shows the two people police believe to be involved.
The incident in Anderson Hall was something of a tipping point for crime on campus, and one day after it University President Eric Kaler sent an email to all students.
In the email Kaler outlined a plan for additional resources for overtime pay and increased “coordinated patrol efforts” working with the City of Minneapolis. He also said the university would add to its 1,700 security cameras and look into who has access to what buildings.
Also shortly after the attempted robbery in Anderson Hall, Vice President Pamela Wheelock began sending public safety updates and has continued to do so weekly.
One such update said University of Minnesota Police Officers logged 181 hours of overtime between Oct. 17 and Dec. 3.
A troubling trend for students and law-makers is that many of these crimes are happening in the middle of the day, or at least not at night, under the cover of darkness.
The attempted robbery in Anderson Hall happened at about 2:45 p.m.
The attempted robbery in the Carlson School of Management happened at approximately 3:30 p.m.
On Dec. 8 an attempted armed robbery in the Marcy-Holmes neighborhood near campus occurred at approximately 4:30 p.m.
On Nov. 30 a robbery occurred in the Prospect Park neighborhood near campus at 8:45 a.m.
All of the crime alerts end with safety tips from the University of Minnesota Police Department. Included are walking in pairs of groups, carrying a minimal amount of valuables and being aware of surroundings. They also suggest not resisting when threatened with a weapon.
Stephen Oman is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.