Safety on campus can be a huge influence on college choice for incoming freshmen, but for New York City students, the feeling of safety isn’t necessarily guaranteed.
Some New York colleges like Columbia University and Fordham University have gates around their campuses, symbolizing solidly where the school ends their safety measures. New York University has blue lights and shuttles to get from the dorms to its “unofficial” campus. Blue lights are pillars with phone capabilities that are placed around campuses for easy access to emergency services. The New School, however, has no gates, shuttles, or blue lights, but simply buildings with security guards.
The school, along with many of its students, considers only what occurs in its buildings and between its students as its responsibility.
“We’re just generally off campus a lot, so the school isn’t as responsible for our safety as campus schools are,” said Jack Feld, a freshman at Drama and current resident of The New School’s Stuyvesant Park dorms.
These safety measures are blatantly stated by the school, both in its actions and in its Annual Safety Report, which is emailed to students. However, many students live off campus, commuting via the multiplicity of New York transportation. Nobody can guarantee safety when faced with countless people and places on a day-to-day basis, not an individual, not the police, and certainly not an educational institution.
When The New School Free Press asked New School students about the school’s responsibility on safety, the majority felt an awareness of the available safety measures when coming to the school and were content with them.
“I don’t think we need things like blue lights because the buildings [on campus] are in such close proximity that it’s easier to just go to a building when and if there is a problem,” said Nathan, a student studying at Lang and Jazz who works at the Welcome Center. “I think counseling does a really good job at combatting any situations that may occur off campus.”
Some students, on the other hand, are interested in increased safety measures such as ID verification at Lang and a more educational approach to the resources students have access to.
“Anyone can just walk into the building if they flash a card. I don’t like the idea of people who aren’t currently enrolled or faculty getting into the building,” R.J. Zamudio, a student at Lang, said.
However, campus life at TNS transcends that of the average college experience. Part of its appeal is its setting in the most populated city in the country, with students living on their own for the first time, prone to NYC’s unpredictability.
“A lot of people, myself included, come to this school to get away from the normal college feel and blue lights and shuttles are a part of that,” said Daniela Stewart, a sophomore at Lang.
Stewart even feels that the existing measures to keep students safe on campus are too much. “I almost feel that the school can be a bit excessive with the security and building check-ins,” she said. “I know last year, when I lived in the dorms, it was really annoying to sign people in and there were a lot of regulations on how often people could come in.”
Other students said that going to the school with their safety concerns is too much of a hassle that most students wouldn’t, or don’t have the time to, bother with.
“Honestly, nobody has time to go through the school [with their problems.] If I have an issue with someone or someone breaks into your apartment, we’re not going to go through the school,” Feld said.
According to The New School website, students facing an emergency on campus should call Campus Security. If the student decides to call the police, they should mention being on The New School’s campus.
Illo: Brittany Lizotte
