By Jenna Birdwell, Staff Reporter
Like many other Toros, I have night classes. One night, I walked out of LaCorte Hall towards my car in the middle of the parking lot. There were three people wearing t-shirts that read “Student Patrol.” I see them, but they don’t seem to pay attention to me – they’re busy looking at their phones. In a dark and empty lot – with a single emergency call box several yards away – that could spell tragedy for someone just trying to get home. As a female student on campus, do I feel safe walking around campus at night, or even in the middle of the day?
Thankfully, I was fine, but this observation made me think about how the university ensures the overall safety of everyone here at Dominguez Hills. I know women on college campuses are at a higher risk of sexual assault compared women of the same age off campus, so I went to the CSUDH Women’s Resource Center (WRC) to learn more about how Toros can protect themselves.
“We know that the vast majority of assaults are acquaintance assaults … it’s not the stranger in the bush that’s jumping out at you,” said WRC director Megan Tagle Adams. “It’s not to say that it never happens, but it’s much, much less common than a lot of people assume.”
Tagle Adams pointed me to the CSUDH Center of Advocacy, Prevention, and Empowerment (CAPE), a confidential resource for students, staff, and faculty. Founded in 2019, CAPE does not report incidents to Campus Police without prior consent — useful for people who may be experiencing intimate violence but need guidance on next steps. In 2023, CAPE received its second grant from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to help bolster its small staff on campus.
“We just hired someone two weeks ago to help us [manage CAPE’s daily responsibilities] because our intention is increasing that awareness during the ‘Red Zone’ because that’s when it’s important,” said Mayra Romo, CAPE’s program director.
The “Red Zone” occurs from the start of the fall semester until the start of the Thanksgiving holiday. According to the DOJ, the period when sexual assaults are more likely to happen on college campuses.
Just before the start of the school year, Toros must complete an hour-long training workshop online in order to register for classes.
The workshop aims to spread awareness of intimate partner violence while also educating students about the harms of drug and alcohol use. Of course, this is all good information, but do students internalize the training, or are they just clicking through to get it out of the way?
During our chat about the workshop, Romo asked me, “Is that enough?” She said consistent messaging reinforces safety-oriented practices, but Campus Police are also responsible for informing the community about safety issues affecting the university.
Although Campus Police do issue advisories via email, the CSUDH Crime Alert Archive has not been updated since 2019. At the very least, the archive site should show the latest information, especially since some people might feel intimidated or unsafe speaking to police officers.
“For many people and for many communities, the police are not a reassuring presence,” Tagle Adams said.
Having more police patrolling campus does have its benefits, but their presence also could have the opposite effect and make people feel less safe.
CSUDH is a second home for many Toros, like senior journalism student Kamran Garcia-Hosseinzadeh, who lives on campus. Garcia-Hosseinzadeh said they feel informed about what is happening on campus. They echoed Romo’s sentiment, saying Campus Police should ensure people always feel safe during an emergency.
“I think there’s a healthy way for them to go about communicating, you know, that they are here for the well-being and safety of students,” Garcia-Hosseinzadeh said.
While Campus Police are not obligated to hold events or be involved in campus life, they do need to continue building trust with students, faculty, and staff.
“What I would encourage people to think about, is community care,” Tagle Adams said. “I’m not going to tell you not to drink. I am going to tell you to watch your drink and to watch your friends’ drinks.”
Toros should feel comfortable contacting Campus Police in any circumstance, yet the outdated emergency call boxes covered in cobwebs and lackadaisical student patrol officers serve as an example that safety concerns on campus are not a top priority.
