Dear Providence College Parents:

As we look forward to beginning the second semester of this academic year and you prepare to send your student back to campus, I hope you will initiate a conversation regarding an issue of concern to everyone at PC--our students' personal safety.

Providence College is a rural campus in an urban community. While our campus environment may provide a sense of security, we try to instill in our students an awareness of personal safety issues, both on and off campus.

During the first semester, there were several incidents of neighborhood crime in which PC students were victimized. Though clustered together and reported in a six-week time period, the number of incidents is not a dramatic increase from past years. Arrests have been made in the majority of incidents, reflecting the cooperation and hard work of College security officials and members of the City of Providence police force.

The most dangerous incidents occurred after midnight; the student victims were walking back to campus after patronizing local bars, unaware that their actions and inattention to their surroundings made them vulnerable targets.

We have worked diligently to educate students who have grown up in non-urban environments about the need to be wise about off-campus activities. The Office of Safety and Security--directed by an officer with over 30 years of experience with the R. I. State Police--partners with residence life staff to offer student "Street Smart" workshops that focus on crime prevention awareness. Campus and city officers have also collaborated on similar safety forums for students.

PC security officers consult on a daily basis with the Providence Police assigned to the nearby district office, located in College-owned property adjacent to the campus. Providence Police quickly respond to crimes reported in the neighborhood. In addition to the city's normal contingent of officers who patrol the area, the College contracts for additional dedicated patrols in areas where our off-campus students live.

When incidents do occur, crime alerts are issued via campus e-mail and/or voice mail. We reinforce safety messages through information in the student newspaper and through other distributed and posted communications.

For students living or traveling off campus, PC has expanded its neighborhood shuttle service between the campus, the surrounding neighborhood and popular destinations for shopping, entertainment and cultural enrichment. The College has doubled its neighborhood shuttle capacity during peak late-night and weekend hours and added a new downtown Providence route that offers late-night and weekend transportation to popular destinations in the Smith Hill and East Side neighborhoods.

Additionally, the College is piloting an internal student transportation system supporting service and co-curricular activities beginning this January. Four multi-passenger vans will be available to designated groups on campus to provide safe transportation to destinations within a 200-mile radius of the campus. Through this pilot program, we look forward to increasing both community service and safe social/recreational opportunities for our students.

Your reinforcement of our common-sense advice to students is important. The Providence College Parent Program, in partnership with the Office of Safety and Security, has created an online tip sheet that parents can use as a tool to foster conversation about campus safety issues. I urge you to review and discuss this information with your student; it is posted on the PC Web site.

Even as we prepare our students to be safety-conscious, we must balance our advice with encouragement for them to care about and serve local community needs. Our desire is not to become an institution insulated and isolated from our community, but one that is aware of and sensitive to the realities and challenges of life among our neighbors.

This is a balance not unfamiliar to parents. We pledge to continue using our resources to keep your student aware and informed and ask that you add your voice of wisdom and experience to ours.
 
Rev. Brian J. Shanley, O.P.