Safety is a delicate topic to broach, especially on college campuses. 

On Sept. 21, a non-student was shot off-campus at 2 a.m. near Route 322 and Main Street. Police are still investigating this incident; there is no official word on injuries. Student reactions to the incident have been varied. 

Ava Italiano, a sophomore English major, witnessed the shooting from the window of her Rowan Boulevard Apartment. She was out that night, but reported that too many people were on the streets, so she and her roommates retreated back to their apartment. 

“Yeah, we saw the car drive by and shoot someone. They fell to the ground, they got shot in the wrist, so they were fine, I think. Then we saw people running, and it was scary,” said Italiano. 

A general consensus from students seems to entail that there are too many timely warnings. While they are generally appreciated, many wonder what the Rowan University Police Department is doing to solve these issues. 

Sara Goodstein, a sophomore radio, television, and film major, thought Rowan’s timely warning was generally suspicious. 

“It was so scary, and it was a little suspicious that I feel like I had to get a lot of the information, like not from Rowan. Like, the timely warning kind of just said like ‘somewhere there’s a shooting’ and then you find out someone was actually shot and it was very close to where I live,” said Goodstein. 

Goodstein was not a witness to the shooting, but lives close to where the off-campus shooting occurred.

“There was a news station, and like literally you see my window. Like, it’s so scary,” said Goodstein. 

Peyton Ngo, an undeclared sophomore, discussed that some parts of campus are safer than others, the area around Rowan Boulevard being a more dangerous area compared to somewhere like Wilson Hall.

“I often hear a lot of stories about friends and other people and all the encounters they’ve had. And of course, all the emails you get of all the fondling and all this and that. You get a lot of emails about that,” said Ngo. 

Students like sophomore English major, Tyler DiTullio, spoke with concern about campus safety. 

“I do like that they have the blue light boxes and stuff like that, I think that is pretty helpful, and I do like that they let us know when things happen – but what are they doing?” said DiTullio. 

DiTullio is a commuter, but has friends who live on campus. While campus safety can affect all students, it tends to impact resident students more. 

“My friend, she lives in the Edgewood Apartments, and she’s like I don’t even want to go outside at nighttime,” said DiTullio. 

Rowan Public Safety offers a walking escort service for anyone who may feel unsafe walking from one location to another on campus. 

Some students were unaware of the off-campus shooting at all, for instance, Andrew Pagan, a junior law and justice major. 

“I actually have not heard of that [the off-campus shooting]. Yeah, no – I really haven’t, I’ve been so busy,” said Pagan. 

Pagan is a commuter and thought the timely warnings were useful in helping students make the best choices for themselves. 

“They send out the timely warnings when something happens or occurs, and from that you know– it’s up to the student’s best judgment,” said Pagan. 

In addition to the timely warnings, Rowan University’s Police Department has developed the Rowan Safe app in recent years that includes a mobile blue light, the virtual walk home, the ability to have police monitor your walks on campus, and a tip line. The app is available for both Apple and Android mobile devices. 

Gabrielle Bullock, a sophomore law and justice major, summed up how she felt about the off-campus shooting in one word. 

“Unsafe,” said Bullock. 

Bullock feels mixed about how Rowan’s safety holds up. 

“I feel like they do a moderately good job. I feel like they could do better,” said Bullock. 

Isabella Bracy, a sophomore English major, feels Rowan falls short, but that it’s more of a wider collegiate issue. 

“My main concern with safety is, I feel like they try to do the best they can, but it just ultimately, in the process of being a college, there are certain pitfalls. I don’t think they properly support those pitfalls,” said Bracy. 

To conclude, most students feel like Rowan does their best but falls short in certain situations. Whether falling short in terms of safety is college-specific and it’s ultimately out of their control, or if further measures are needed, is up to interpretation. Rowan University provides various safety services and tips for feeling safer on campus. 

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