University officials have stepped up security measures and added new safety programs after a string of various alleged crimes took place on campus during the 2012-2013 school year.

Following the occurrence of several crimes in the fall, four open forums on campus safety and security were held in October of 2012. Vice President for Student Affairs David Shields said safety is a top priority for the university.

“Safety and security are a primary concern on our campus,” Shields said in one forum. “When things like this happen (speaking of an alleged rape that occurred in the campus parking deck), it creates an urgency for all of us. We want to know why this is happening and how we can prevent it.”

During the same forum, UNA Chief of Police Bob Pastula reported that the length of police shifts was increased and new positions were added to the department.

“We’ve gone to 12-hour shifts to increase our coverage and have three officers on duty at most times,” he said. “We moved to a more centrally located area of campus to increase our visibility. We also offer bike patrols, Segways and officers patrolling on foot.

“I’ve created an investigator position, and more recently, in response to the recent events, a sexual crime investigator who is specially trained.”

In November of 2012, it was reported that Officer Shequanda Jenkins had been appointed to fill the department’s sexual assault investigator position.

“The position is for someone that knows how to do the investigation and what is required,” Pastula said in an earlier interview with The Flor-Ala. “Students will have the benefit of having someone on campus who not only knows how to do the procedures correctly, but also how to handle them correctly, as far as the compassion, care and understanding that has to go into an investigation like this.”

Jenkins told The Flor-Ala her background with the necessary training and familiarity with Rape Response provide a solid foundation for her to work in this role.

The UNA Police Department’s 32-page policy for investigating sexual assaults on campus was revised March 7 to reflect changes being implemented in response to alleged campus crimes, Pastula said in an earlier interview with The Flor-Ala.

“The policies are changed to reflect the way we do things in the department,” he said. “When something happens, we go back and re-evaluate the policy and make changes as needed.”

Following an alleged gang rape in Rivers Hall, campus officials hosted an open forum with students and community members in Towers Hall on March 13.

“We provide countless safety resources, but we still need to do more,” Shields said during the forum. “There is no silver bullet, no program, no one thing to stop it, but what we can do is pool our efforts and thinking to make some changes.”

Several faculty and staff members have started an initiative called Not on Our Watch (NOW!) this spring. Members of the organization said they are taking a stand against violence on campus and have conducted two night patrols, during which they escort students across campus to their vehicles or residence halls after dark.

“We want students to know that no one has to walk across a dark campus alone,” said Lesley Peterson, associate professor of English. “We’re not here to say you should be afraid; we’re here to let you know that we take you and your concerns seriously.”

“I think (recent crime has) heightened awareness for us, not only as a campus community but also for parents,” said Kimberly Mauldin, director of admissions, in an earlier interview with The Flor-Ala. “We have to praise students for coming forth and reporting crime. You can’t respond and react by putting procedures in place if you don’t know what’s happening.”

To continue increasing safety measures on campus, Pastula said he would encourage incoming and current students to take advantage of the programs offered by the police department, including the Rape Aggression Defense (RAD) course, which is free and offered multiple times throughout the school year.

Pastula said he would also encourage students to use the Student Nighttime Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP) program, which provides escorts for students after dark.

Pastula, as well as many other campus officials, said one of the biggest things to remember is to continue to report any suspicious activity to police.

Justin Argo, a junior at UNA, said he believes campus officials are doing a good job with responding to crime to maintain campus safety and recommends using the buddy system when traveling across campus at night.

“Crime is unsettling anywhere,” said Laura McCray, a junior. “Many college campuses have these issues. However, the proper amount of security needs to be put in place to prevent the things that happened this past year from happening again in the future.”

Chelsea Keenum, a senior at UNA, said crime has been discussed more openly and calmly since she enrolled at UNA.

“We have 7,000 people a day on campus,” Shields said earlier this year. “If we can employ 7,000 eyes, we have a better opportunity to respond to security issues.”

News Editor Pace Holdbrooks contributed to this report.