Safety Over Budgets

Yesterday at just gone 5:00 PM just after our final lectures had finished for the day, two of my female friends were approached by a man in Whitelands campus who showed them an indecent image on his phone as he walked further into the building. When we searched for the security, we realised there was no one around; reception was shut but the building and gates were open for anyone to enter and there were still staff and students working in the building. After a search of the corridors, we eventually found a member of the lecturing team who contacted security. We then had to wait while they drove over from Roehampton main campus to come and talk to us but as it was 5:00 PM, they got stuck in traffic…..

Over the last few weeks there have been a number of incidents at Whitelands campus Roehampton University that have left young women feeling unsafe. A friend told me that last week when she left student accommodation to buy some bread and eggs from the corner shop in the evening, she was followed home by a man who tried to come into the accommodation with her. Someone else was chased by a man on a bike and another female student has been stabbed in the leg. Friends are making the decision to not go out in the evening because they are scared to walk home on their own. This should not be our experience of student life.

Please join us in petitioning for 24/7 security on Whitelands campus to ensure that staff and students feel safe while they are on site after 5:00 PM.

University life including studying, making friends, and going out to buy bread should and must be a positive and, at the very least, a safe experience. No one should have to experience being attacked, followed, scared to walk home, and being shown indecent images without their consent.

Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again.