Students entering their junior year at Hopkins often face the prospect of living off-campus. Though generally considered safe, concerns over the safety of off-campus apartments has resurfaced following a recent incident of sexual assault in the elevator at the Northway. Questions regarding the safety of off-campus housing and how incidents are dealt with have arisen once again.
In the past, most attention on the issue was focused towards rowhouses, but the incident at the Northway drew new focus to apartment buildings near campus.
Michael Thompson, the manager of the Northway apartment building called the assault “an isolated incident” and the first disturbance that has occurred in 10 years. “We believe the building is safe,” he said adding, “We don’t believe any changes are necessary for security.”
The Northway’s security features include outside doors, which are locked 24 hours, and cameras in as well as around the building.
Thompson explained that the cameras project onto a screen in his office. “After 5 pm no one monitors the screens but they have the ability to record,” he said.
When an incident, like the one that happened last Tuesday, involves a Hopkins student, Hopkins security is notified.
According to Detective Mark Long, the Hopkins Campus Safety and Security only has law enforcement authority on property owned by the campus.
The Baltimore Police Department has authority both on and off campus.
“Campus Safety and Security acts as ‘eyes and ears’ for the Baltimore Police while patrolling off campus in Charles Village,” Long wrote in an email to The News-Letter.
Furthermore, the university also hires off-duty Baltimore Police officers to patrol areas of Charles Street and Charles Village.
“The Campus Safety and Security Investigations Section works in partnership and on a continuous basis with Baltimore Police detectives and patrol officers from the Northern District,” Long wrote.
Detective Donny Moses of the Baltimore City Police Department agreed with Long, saying that while “a separate agency, we partner with [the University’s security] where we can, sharing information.”
While security incidents are relatively common for students living off campus in houses, the Baltimore Police Department was surprised that an incident took place in an apartment building.
Moses called assaults very rare occurrences and said that security issues with regards to students are normally robberies. “Students get stopped because they seem unsuspecting,” he said.
“People don’t really try to get into apartment buildings and theft inside tends to be done by other students.”
Although apartment buildings are safer than houses, their security features pale in comparison to those of on campus housing.
Long wrote that all of the on campus housing locations are controlled by Allied Barton security officers positioned at the building’s entrance.
Students not only have to grant visitors access but the guests must also leave a photographic identification card at the security desk.
“An additional layer of protection for on-campus housing is provided by Campus Officers and Baltimore Police who patrol areas surrounding the housing units,” Long wrote.
Finally, Homewood Communications Center personnel monitor emergency e-phones and camera systems near on-campus housing 24 hours a day.
Despite the added security features of on campus housing, many students feel equally safe living in off campus locations.
Seniors Kara Mirski and Ashley Aaroe live in the University West apartment buildings on West University, a few blocks west of the Northway and said that they felt as if they were basically living on campus in terms of safety.
“You don’t have to swipe in but there’s always a Hop Cop officer less than a block away and there’s a blue light,” Mirski said.
She noted that perhaps the key difference between the Northway and University West was the size of the buildings and the number of residents.
“Uniwest is like a dorm, I know almost everyone that lives inside and maintenance is always around,” Mirski said.
“If I saw someone I didn’t know I wouldn’t just let them in. People don’t let people in for no reason. No one holds the door open for no reason unless they know the person behind them, “ Aaroe said.
Both seniors also agreed that overall they feel that the area is very safe.
“It’s a good neighborhood with the Colonnade right there,” Mirski said. “It’s like being on campus with the perks of being off campus.”
