By Alison Zupkus

During the Bradley University lockdown on April 27, roommates Angela Paulick and Monica Velazquez texted each other to make sure they were both okay. Monica was at their St. James apartment and Angela was at the library. Angela told Monica that she had been moved into the basement while the library was locked down, and Monica said that she had closed all of the curtains, turned off all of the lights and locked the door…just in case. Neither of them really knew what was going on, but both were scared for the other and for themselves.

The April 27 lockdown, which was caused by a shooting at the 1100 block of Bourland Avenue, was the second incident in April that have caused a stir among students.

The first incident, which took place on April 13 at the 1500 block of Fredonia Avenue, was an armed robbery. The controversy came from the fact that the Bradley University Police Department did not inform the students of the robbery until two hours after they received the call. Meanwhile, students were still walking up and down Fredonia without any idea as to what had just occurred.

“Many Bradley students lives were jeopardized while there were armed suspects roaming our campus when one of our very own Greek members was attacked and mugged last night, however there was no notification of this until two hours later,” said Megan Dworzycki, the president of Sigma Delta Tau’s Alpha Upsilon chapter at Bradley, at their chapter meeting on April 14, “I don’t know about you, but nothing makes me feel more unsafe.”

After the incident of the armed robbery, Joe Waytula, a student at Bradley, created a petition for people – not just his fellow Bradley students – to sign, indicating that they were unhappy with the way the BU Police Department kept the student body informed of crimes on campus.

Waytula wrote in his petition what exactly he and many other students were looking for: “Let’s come together and tell Bradley University administrators and the police department that their communication regarding this event is unacceptable. We, the students, demand that the university immediately review and update their procedures for notification of such events for students in future situations.”

Another major concern for students has been the way the Safety Cruisers run. Sometimes, students have said they stand outside waiting for the Safety Cruiser for 20 to 30 minutes.

“If it takes too long, I just walk,” said Jess Maas, a senior at Bradley University, “I know it’s not always safe, but neither is standing in one spot, waiting for the Cruiser.”

Courtney Schaumburg is a student driver for the Safety Cruiser, and while she enjoys her job, she realizes that there are problems with the system.

“It makes for good stories, but people do get frustrated,” Schaumburg said, “We can’t help it if there aren’t a lot of us out driving during a shift, but a lot of people need rides.”

Schaumburg says that the situation is a Catch-22 for the university. On the one hand, getting another Cruiser and hiring more drivers requires funding that they don’t necessarily have, but on the other hand, as Schaumburg asks, “Shouldn’t safety be a top priority?”

https://www.timetoast.com/timelines/april-27-lockdown