The University of Idaho has joined with Vitruvian Planning to shed new light on campus safety. Vitruvian Planning, which specializes in public health and safety, receives funds from the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare.
Chris Danley, who represented Vitruvian Planning during a Wednesday morning presentation, said his firm’s involvement with UI was the next natural step of improving campus safety following the introduction of Green Dot training.
“My impression is that it is a pretty strong and safe campus,” Danley said. “I don’t have a lot of reason to doubt otherwise. Most of the feelings that have been conveyed to us have underscored that. Having said that, there’s room for improvement.”
Vitruvian’s presentation followed a survey of campus Tuesday night, where students and staff joined the firm in observing potential problem areas.
Danley presented data from a survey on student safety on the UI campus conducted by the National Collegiate Health Association. Less than a quarter — 24.3 percent — of female respondents felt safe traversing the campus at night. That number dropped to 18.1 percent when asked about the perception of safety in the broader Moscow community.
Danley said while survey results are not always reliable sources of data, this particular data set was a point of emphasis on which Virtruvian will base future decisions.
Emilie McLarnan, coordinator of violence prevention programs in the Dean of Students office, said the perception of safety can sometimes play just as large a role as actual safety.
“People’s perception of safety is really important,” she said. “That’s a significant element, how safe do they feel, even if statistically they are unlikely to have anything happen to them. If they don’t feel safe, then we have a problem.”
McLarnan said she often feels safe walking the UI campus at any time of the day, but she acknowledged her experiences might not apply to everyone.
Virtuvian’s work comes as part of the Student Safety and Wellness Task Force, a 15-person panel created last semester after it became public that former athletic director Rob Spear mishandled reporting several sexual misconduct reports to the Title IX office, as required by school and national policy.
Mclarnan, a member of the task force, said the group is still receiving feedback and developing recommendations that will be presented to President Chuck Staben. Recommendations will be presented at the end of fall semester.Danley and McLarnan said Virtuvian’s involment, for now, includes gathering data to make more informed decisions in the future. The firm will return within the coming months to discuss further action.Danley said during that time, the firm will find out better ways to work with other entities nearby, such as the state highway department and the City of Moscow to better improve pedestrian traffic. McLarnan urged students and staff to attend Vitruvian’s next visit to Moscow.
“They’ll have an opportunity when they come back and have a chance to voice their opinions about campus safety,” she said. “I think if students are interested in being a part of the next walking sessions, they can reach out to our office.”
Brandon Hill and Kyle Pfannenstiel can be reached at [email protected]