Students reflect on campus safety after recent crime increase

Many parents send their children to UC Davis with the expectation that it is a safe and nurturing college town for students to flourish. With what seems like weekly crime alert notifications, however, students are left to question their sense of safety and security walking around campus. Since Sept. 7, there have been 10 crime alerts sent out via email, the majority being robberies or residential burglaries and one being a homicide in the greater city of Davis.

Bill Beerman, the patrol supervisor of the UC Davis Campus Police Department, believes that Davis crime rates have spiked in the past several months.

“It is very rare for us to have two robberies in a row so having two back-to-back is very suspicious in my mind,” Beermann said.

He argues however, that these statistics may be skewed, because the UC Davis Police Department and the City of Davis Police Department are two separate entities. The UC Davis Police Department simply chooses to release crime alerts for crimes committed off campus. Therefore, students may receive a crime alert for a crime committed miles away from campus and mistake it for an on-campus crime.

“When there is a crime adjacent to the campus, we put out an alert to make them aware that there is an issue going on and make themselves safe” Beermann said. “Crime reports sent out by the city of Davis often get linked to us because students have the misconception that the crime occurred on campus.”

Beermann maintains the belief that Davis is still a safe place for all students.

“I believe the UC Davis campus is a safe place,” Beermann said. “I have a daughter that just graduated from UC Davis. If I thought it was an unsafe place I would not have had her attend here.”

One area that has been a repeated target for theft is Parkway Circle, a complex located across from the Student Health and Wellness Center. Of the 10 crime alerts, two of them were reported to have occured in Parkway Circle. Grant Matheson, a resident of the complex, has felt the effects of campus crime first hand.

“Several of my friends have had their cars vandalised and the speakers were stolen from inside our house,” Matheson said.

As a fifth-year, Matheson is struggling to reconsider his idea of Davis as being a safe, small town.

“This is never something I had to worry about until the last couple of months, and now I feel like I have to triple check that everything is locked,” Matheson said.

In addition to household robberies, thieves at coffee shops have been stealing laptops directly from the hands of customers. Two separate incidents have occurred at different coffee shops – one at Peet’s Coffee & Tea and one at Temple Coffee Roasters, both located in downtown Davis. Bill Beerman argued that these attacks have become a “trendy thing to do” which has resulted in a copycat effect. Matheson believes that the earlier crimes committed “may have given cover for more people to commit crimes, because they notice that these crimes go unsolved and they think ‘maybe I can do that too.’”

According to Beerman, these incidences are “hard to command” and he emphasized that “where one puts themselves in a coffee shop combined with being aware of one’s surroundings can be very helpful.”

Third-year civil engineering major Emma Yenerich lives off of Russell Boulevard and has encountered numerous safety concerns this academic year.

“We have had people try and get our door open while we are inside, we have had someone in the backyard and people lingering on our front lawn which does not make me feel safe at all,” Yenerich said.

Yenerich also worries that the UC Davis Police Department is not doing all it can to protect students. Only after several requests to send someone to patrol the area around her house did the police department send a car.

“As a student who is feeling threatened or unsafe, knowing that law enforcement is reluctant to send an officer is kinda disappointing.” Yenerich said.

She too struggled to adjust to this change in safety, and feels that the spike in crime this year has taken a toll on her sense of safety on campus.

“I have never really felt so nervous or on-edge just being at home before” Yenerich said.

Beerman believes there are certain actions and precautions that students can take to better protect themselves against crime.

“The reason we notify students of campus crimes is so they can better prepare themselves,” Beerman said.

Beerman also heavily emphasized being aware of your surroundings, regardless of location or time of day. One tip Beerman offered is whenever a crime is committed, “be a good observer and get a good idea or what a suspect or a car may look like and try and take down plates.”

“There are people out there who are looking to make a quick dollar and for crimes of opportunity, so it is important to look out not only for ourselves but for one another,” Beerman said.

Written by Miki Wayne – features@theaggie.org

How freshmen find their footing at this point in the quarter

For many freshmen, making the transition from high school to college is a big step forward. Some are first-generation college goers, while others have a long history of college in their family. Regardless of the situation, it can be quite intimidating to step on to a college campus for the first time, but many students don’t allow this image to halt their progress.

Lawrence Tolentino, a first-year communication major, came from a small charter high school of only 630 students across all grade levels. In this small community, Tolentino was constantly searching for a way to find new people and make connections with them.

“I remember I would join clubs, go to a bunch of events, join swimming, travel a lot; just [trying to] meet new people,” Tolentino said.

Though only a handful of his friends from home came to UC Davis with him, he acknowledged how getting himself involved in high school has helped him find ways to meet people at a campus with a student body much larger than he has experienced. Tolentino also noted the difference between having a rigid high school schedule of an 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. day with seven classes to a more flexible environment, consisting of only three classes for his Fall Quarter.

“I’m starting off better in classes here than I did in high school,” Tolentino said. “In high school, you’re in class the whole time, all throughout the day. Here, it’s all spaced out. I don’t feel the urge to procrastinate as much; my motivation isn’t going down.”

With a wide range of classes to choose from, Tolentino found classes he enjoys to take instead of finding himself burned out in the middle of the day. While the quarter system lends itself to sneaky midterms creeping up on students by their third week, Tolentino found confidence, knowing his professors take the time necessary to walk through a midterm review session and assist the students in multiple ways. Aside from academics, Tolentino described his enjoyment in the many clubs around campus that allow him to meet others and stay engaged while focusing on schoolwork.

“Here, everyone is active and everyone is into [clubs],” Tolentino said. “The people in high school, a lot of them [joined clubs] just so they could get into college. The people that join clubs here, they’re joining because they want to.”

It is a refreshing scene for Tolentino, finding himself around like-minded individuals with the same motivation he carries with him.

Sven Kuhne, a computer science major, found himself in similar shoes as Lawrence Tolentino coming from a small charter school. While Kuhne knew everyone in his graduating class, he described the difficulty of meeting people outside of his high school.

“Because we were a charter school and we had students from all around the area, it was hard to hang out with other people,” Kuhne said. “You can’t just bike to them, it involves a lot of driving, or, if you are biking, it takes about 20 minutes.”

Now entering his first year at Davis, Kuhne has come to grips with the fact that it is quite difficult to try and meet all of his contemporaries.

“I’ve been dealing with [the transition] by accepting that I can’t get to know everyone,” Kuhne said. “I get to know mostly the people on my floor because I do spend most of my time studying. Also, people that are in my classes because I want to be able to form study groups with them later.”

Forming study groups is certainly essential to anyone who has never been introduced to the quarter system. Kuhne acknowledged how fast the quarter system can move after a few weeks of classes.

“[The quarter system] goes a lot faster,” Kuhne said. “For me, it’s not necessarily a problem. In fact, high school always felt a little bit slow to me. Right now, it’s actually pretty good. Even though in high school I had seven courses per year, I feel like the workload in the end is around the same. You have to be a lot more engaged with the material.”

In terms of socializing with others, Kuhne finds it much more convenient and easier to find others who have similar interests and goals in mind.

“I feel like the college atmosphere, social-wise, [allows you] to get to know a lot more people, and you can do more with them,” Kuhne said. “Because everyone is so close by, it’s easy to say ‘Hey, do you want to eat lunch with me?’ or ‘Oh, do you remember that math homework? Can we work on that together?’ That’s one of the cool things about college.”

Sriharish Bellamkonda, a first-year biochemistry major, attended a high school that emphasized academic proficiency for its students. Bellamkonda shed light on the academic rigor his high school implemented.

“[My school] was very academic oriented,” Bellamkonda said. “That meant a lot more focus into how to study, what to study, taking AP classes and trying to push yourself into the next level. It was that kind of high school where you went there and then you felt really [good] because you knew everyone around you, and it sure is a feeling that I miss right now.”

Bellamkonda is currently taking only 12 units, and has found that to be a pleasant surprise in terms of workload and down time.

“The workload is pretty nice,” Bellamkonda said. “It’s actually left me with more free time than I know what to do with. I’ve been warned of that, so I’ve been trying to find ways to fill that up as much as possible. If you’re there in your dorm and you’re not doing anything are you really in college, and are you really interacting with people?”

While Bellamkonda has experienced the same hurdle of trying to meet new people and getting comfortable with new surroundings, his decision to come to Davis was vested deeply in his confidence of finding lasting friendships.

“I chose Davis because I felt that I could come here and I could be certain that I would make some really good friends,” Bellamkonda said. “In that sense, Davis has been an amazing experience.”

Written by: Vincent Sanchez — features@theaggie.org

Students talk about what friendships mean to them, how they balance social lives with academic life

Getting a degree might be the reason that students go through the college application process and stay at their university of choice for another four years, but it’s not the only thing that counts by the end of a student’s college journey. One area of life that students particularly try to maintain in college is a social life.

“Socializing means having a life apart from school and all the other ‘adulting’ aspects,’” said second-year computer engineering major Aman Vinayak. “Having friends or a social circle just makes life a tad bit easier.”

Tiffany Kwan, a third-year transfer student and a managerial economics major, had positive things to say about socializing as well.

“Socializing is connecting with other human beings,” Kwan said. “[Socializing] is pretty important to me, because it is a way to de-stress from the difficulties of this school. It is an integral part of college because you are just constantly around new people, and when you are struggling it’s better to talk to people rather than keep everything to yourself.”

In the day and age of Snapchat and Instagram when students can virtually stay in touch with their friends by watching their Instagram stories, students still manage to find ways to take time out of their busy schedules to cultivate friendships and socialize.

“I have deleted most of my social media so it’s all now face-to-face therefore, I don’t spend any energy on my devices wasting time and not even socializing,” Vinayak said. “I host guests at my house, go to events and that’s how I save time from not being on my devices and focus on school.”

When it comes to meeting people, Kwan found those who fall naturally into her schedule to be suitable companions.

“I socialize with people who are in the same class as I am, or I use socializing as a break from studying,” Kwan said.

Does partying count as socializing? Different students have different thoughts.

“I used to like to party a lot but not anymore,” Vinayak said. “There’s nothing much to it, if you see it’s just blacking out and making snapchat stories. Therefore, I refrain. I like being in smaller groups now as I am getting older. I want to strengthen my relationships rather than having a bunch of people who just know my name, and I can’t have a real conversation with, and who don’t even know much about my life.”

Kwan had similar views on the topic of partying and making genuine connections.

“I feel like partying is not the best way to really get to know people, but rather just a way to let loose,” Kwan said.” I feel like the only way to really connect with people is to be able to have a conversation one-on-one with a person. That is the only way to really get to know what makes a person who they are today. Most people aren’t as willing to open up in a larger group.”

Staying on top of school work, socializing and still prioritizing some “alone time” might be challenging for a lot of college students, but students try to focus on their health while also focusing on academics.

“I prioritize my health and well-being [over socializing].” Kwan said. “[Having alone time] is very important to me, as I am not one who is able to be social all the time.”

Vinayak talked about his health and well being as well.

“I do take quite a bit of me time,” Vinayak said. “It’s unlike me, but this year I have started to focus more on my health and studies, so I socialize quite a bit but retreat as soon as it starts to get overwhelming. I get bored easily so I like being alone sometimes in my thoughts and relaxing.”

Kwan seemed to find that making casual friends versus achieving coveted best friendship were two very different things.

“ I feel like I do easily make friends, but it is harder to find really close friends,” Kwan said. “Friendship is having a person to count on when you need someone to talk to. Also not turning your back on someone even during dark times.”

Vinayak talked about what friendship means to him.

“Friendship means having someone to talk to apart from family and discussing things that may not make sense to anyone else other than you and your friends,” Vinayak said. “A companion who you can share these experiences away from home.”

If socializing and making friends is this important, it is evident that there must be a strategy as to where to find friendships.

“I would consider [rushing a sorority] just because it would be a good way to make friends,” Kwan said. “Don’t be afraid to just go out and find some organization to make friends, because it is likely that there are numerous other people who are having the problems as you.”

Vinayak talked about her college social experience being different than that of high school.

“Keep your ego aside and just go out and meet people,” Vinayak said. “College is a huge, huge place where you are bound to meet people who share the same likes and dislikes as you. It’s essential that you make friends as college is a whole different ball game than high school. Shit gets real out here.”

Written by: Rabiya Oberoi — features@theaggie.org