Safety First?

In the wake of a recent murder of a young basketball star near campus, how safe do CCNY students feel?by Rosmaira De La CruzTayshana Murphy (pictured here) was only a senior in high school and a star basketball player when she was murdered on September 13. According to news reports, Murphy was confronted by a man with a gun she didn’t know, in what investigators believe was a case of mistaken identity. She tried running into her apartment building at 1320 Amsterdam Street, not too far from City College. But her escape plan failed, and was gunned down inside the building.The police apprehended suspects late last month, but Murphy's murder still worries. CCNY students. According to the 26th precinct of the New York Police Department, all kinds of crimes have decreased dramatically in Harlem in the last 10 years. But even in the rapidly gentrifying community of Harlem, crimes like the murder of Murphy still occur near campus, including sex offenses, muggings and other forms of victimization.Adds Eduard Juarez, a 21-year-old senior: “I don’t really feel safe walking to the train when it’s dark,” says Eduard Juarez, a 21-year-old senior.Most CCNY students commute from another neighborhood or borough--nealry 98 percent notes the City Facts database--so walking to the bus, train or their cars can put them on edge. "I only feel safe when I'm walking on Broadway," says Ariel Gutierrez, 21, a junior at CCNY. "The other parts of the community are not very safe. I walk as fast as I can.""I only walked to the D train by myself once," adds Charlotte Ozuna, 22, a senior. "I was approached by a man who unzipped his pants in front of me, but I quickly ran away."According to CCNY public safety, burglaries on campus property dropped from 26 in 2007 to seven in 2009, but on-campus rip-offs remain a concern. In the fall of 2010,  a thief stole a computer from CCNY filled with students’ personal information. Juarez adds that in the spring semester of 2009, he witnessed a robbery on campus. “A guy came into the NAC building and took a girl’s laptop,” says Juarez. He ran after the person forgetting that he could’ve gotten hurt. “The school security guards were not in sight, but I wanted to help the girl get her laptop back.” Fortunately, Juarez says he was able to recover the laptop unharmed.Despite Murphy's murder, CCNY officials say they are not taking any extra precautions. "We are only responsible for what happens on campus,” says Douglas M. White, deputy director of public safety. “Murphy’s murder didn’t happen on campus."CCNY students should always be cautious when walking in and around campus at night. Buses run every 15 minutes going towards the 145^th Street and the 125th Street train stations. The last bus in both directions ends at 9 PM. On the CCNY website, public safety has alerts to notify students in real time about issues that have happened in the area. Students can also get information about what to do if they have an encounter with someone dangerous. Visit http://bit.ly/UWdED for more tips on how to stay safe.I always try to avoid late classes but it is inevitable,” says Jamie Ancheta, 20, a senior at CCNY. “I don’t think that public safety on campus can really do much, but now that I know they keep their site updated, I will pay more attention to know what is going on around campus.”