The Ohio State University Board of Trustees focused their efforts on student safety Thursday in response to a rash of robberies in the campus area at the end of 2011.
The trustees discussed ways to keep students safe including requiring property owners to have working lights and a better system to inform students about crimes electronically, 10TV’s Justin Moss reported.
"We also have alley lights on both sides in case we're doing lot surveillance and patrols on campus," Sean Bolender of The Ohio State University Student Safety Service said.
The program offers free rides to students around campus to keep them from becoming potential victims on the streets.
"The more service we can provide, the greater our odds of preventing something," Bolender said. "Even though we can't measure it, intuitively you can tell that by providing that many rides you've stopped some kind of crime from happening and even just one makes the whole program worth it."
In January, the number of students using the service increased 116% from a year ago, Moss reported.
"I used it one time when I got separated from my friends at a bar and I didn't want to walk home by myself," said student Courtney Vaughn.
"It's kind of crazy around campus sometimes, so it's nice to have something," said student Christine Zavodnik.
University officials said that they have educated students about staying safe, Moss reported.
Police increased patrols and arrested several suspects accused in the robberies that put the campus on edge last year.
"We've cut these crime figures in half and we think that our students are in much safer environment now than they were in the early fall," said Vice President for Administration and Planning Jay Kasey.
The university planned to hold a series of town hall meetings to discuss safety with the campus community.
Many of the recommendations came from a task force that was established after the robberies, Moss reported.
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