I am currently working on a story about crosswalk and car safety on college campuses. After a bicyclist was hit by a car on campus last month, it is necessary to investigate the cause of accidents at the UA campus. It's something that students do every day, and don' t really realize the imminent danger they face. It’s related to my beat because it's discussing the safety of the public, and it is a crime to hit someone with your car, whether it is an accident or not. It's valuable to the the community because people walk out in front of cars every day and just expect them to stop. What happens when the driver is not paying attention or does not see you? I have learned that drivers and pedestrians alike are to blame for these accidents. Most of the time, they both are distracted. Readers will be interested to learn about this issue because almost every college students is walking and driving every day.
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By Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter Three people died in motorcycle accidents and 18 were arrested during the 20th annual Bikes, Blues & BBQ motorcycle rally from Sept. 25 to Sept. 28 in northwest Arkansas, according to police reports. One of three fatalities occurred on Interstate 49 near the Fulbright Expressway when a woman who was on the back of a motorcycle fell off following a collision with another motorcycle driver. The other two deaths occurred in the Springdale area. One because of a collision with another motorcycle driver, and the other because a biker hit a large hole in the road and fell. The thousands of bikers who gathered on Dickson Street garnered attention from residents as well as police. “I would say that the Bikes, Blues & BBQ Dickson Street area was probably three times as busy as a game day as far as the amount of people,” Fayetteville Police Sgt. Anthony Murphy said. “The game day crowds are much rowdier and I think they drink more excessively.” Eighteen arrests were recorded during the rally. all were charged with public intoxication and disorderly conduct, and some were charged with multiple offenses. Four arrests were made for warrants; one charge for carrying a weapon; one charge for driving while intoxicated; one charge for battery in the third degree; one charge for possession of a controlled substance; one charge for fleeing; one charge of refusal to submit; and one charge of obstruction of governmental operations, according to the Fayetteville Police Department. All were charged with misdemeanors. Sixteen accidents were recorded in Fayetteville involving motorcycles, but none of them life-threatening, Murphy said. “We had no fatalities in Fayetteville,” Murphy said. The 2019 reported accident total was much higher than the nine reported accidents that occurred in the city in 2017, but one less than the 17 reported accidents in 2018, Murphy said. “Bikes, Blues & BBQ seems to be an older demographic,” Murphy said. “They just come down there to show off their bikes and have a good time.” By. Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter The UA police have urged students to lock their doors after a reported rape in Holcombe Hall early in September. There are however, several more precautions students should take. Making sure to lock doors is the first step students can take to prevent crimes, police say. If students are reluctant to walk home alone, they’ve had one drink too many, or have locked their keys inside their car, the UofA offers Safe Ride. The late-night transportation service is free and available to all students from 10:30 p.m. – 1 a.m. Monday-Tuesday nights, and from 10:30 p.m. until 3 a.m. Wednesday-Saturday nights, according to the UA website. “Safe Ride is a free student service, it’s there to take care of you, to get you home, out of an uncomfortable or inconvenient situation,” said Safe Ride chairman Andrew Hudspeth. Beyond Safe Ride hours, UA police said they will do a walking escort if a student needs one, Capt. Gary Crain said. But there are more resources than a sober ride service or a police escort. Associated Student Government has encouraged students to download RAVE Guardian, an app that can track friends, set alarms that notify them if they don’t respond, provide confidential tips, and immediately contact the police. Downloading a safety app is one of several steps residents can take to be safer on the streets, according to the Office of Women’s Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. RESPECT is a multi-award-winning peer education program focusing on rape education at the UofA. Through campaigns such as “That’s so 6%”, and “My Cup is Not My Consent”, class presentations and outreach events, RESPECT seek to raise awareness about rape culture on college campuses. RESPECT has interacted with many programs at the UofA, including Theta Chi. The two collaborated during last year’s ‘It’s On Us’ Week of Action, hosting events each day to remind students it is their responsibility to prevent sexual assault. “We want our members and students around campus to know that there are organizations and resources like RESPECT that can help bring awareness to such a serious issue and provide help to those affected,” said Kyle Freeman, Theta Chi vice president of Health and Safety at Theta Chi. SARAH, a collaborative program between STAR Central and Legal Aid of Arkansas, is a campus resource that provides free and confidential counseling for anyone experiencing sexual violence. Walk-in visits are available from 1-3 p.m. on Tuesdays all year, and it is located at the Wellness Center at the Garland Garage. “Just be smart,” said Safe Ride Chairman Andrew Hudspeth. “Make good decisions... the worst thing that could happen is somebody making a decision that affects horribly the lives of people who live on campus and others.” By Parker Tillson
The Razorback Reporter A reported rape in a dorm room Monday triggered a RazAlert at the UofA. A later report showed details different from the original account. The victim reported the rape at 1:37 a.m. Monday in Holcombe Hall on Garland Avenue, when she said that a stranger came into her room and assaulted her, UA Police Capt. Gary Crain said. The next day, the victim of the assault said she was acquainted with the perpetrator, and that the perpetrator was invited in to the dorm room by the victim, Crain said. UAPD is investigating the case, but no further details have been disclosed. Crain encouraged students to take safety precautions such as locking bedroom and car doors to reduce the possibility of crimes. Rape is committed by someone the victim knows 80 percent of the time, according to rainn.org, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization. Sex crimes are a common issue at universities, according to data. In fact, one in five women in college experience sexual assault, and students are at a higher risk of sexual assault in the first few months of their first and second semesters in college, according to Womenshealth.gov, an affiliate of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. These first few months are referred to as the RedZone, according to thetab.com, a news website with articles from students at top universities. After gathering more than 800 reports of rape and sexual assault cases from crime logs at 12 colleges, the data showed that more than 32 percent of sex crimes happened from September to November. Most new students live in dorm rooms during their first year of college, and most are coed, where boys and girls are in close proximity. The results of the same study from thetab.com showed that 46.9 percent of the 800 cases from those universities occurred in freshman dorms. |
AuthorSenior journalism student at the University of Arkansas with the aim to be a sports reporter. Archives
December 2019
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