Content warning: This article contains mentions of sexual assault and gun violence.
On March 24, a man was shot on the 200 block of North Main Street. The Ann Arbor Police Department reported the incident in a post on X at 5:37 p.m. The Michigan Daily reported it in a news article minutes later. The University of Michigan, however, remained silent for the rest of the night, even while the suspect had yet to be arrested. Not until the next day did the University make any reference to the episode, quietly announcing an investigation on the Division of Public Safety and Security’s website and largely unused U-M Public Safety app.
This lack of communication created a dangerous situation for students in the area, many of whom live near the site of the violence. One comment on The Daily’s Instagram post about the shooting read, “I feel like we should have gotten alerts! this is so scary!!” Another said, “I didn’t receive anything. This is unacceptable.”
Neither the police nor The Daily can ensure accurate updates are reaching the entire student body in a timely fashion. Only the University has the infrastructure to do so — and it has the responsibility to use it. The University needs to expand its emergency alert system to include off-campus crime.
Seventy-three percent of U-M students live off-campus and, despite their distance from U-M property, the University is still responsible for their safety. Students need to know when and where a campus or local crime is occurring in order to protect themselves. Gun violence, aggravated assaults and sexual assaults are all on the rise in Ann Arbor and Washtenaw County, and as this trend continues, relevant information from a trusted source will only become more important.
On the FAQ page for its Emergency Alert system, the University explains that students are automatically enrolled to receive campus-wide alerts via text and email. The University regularly tests this system to ensure that all students are able to receive their updates. According to DPSS, the system exists because “keeping the students, faculty, and staff of our large, multicampus university informed during major active emergencies is a priority for the University of Michigan.”
While the events of last Sunday may not have been a major active emergency by DPSS standards, students would not have known the scale of the emergency unless they closely followed AAPD’s and The Daily’s social media feeds. The University’s reason for not sending out an alert may have been to prevent panic, but the information people received from Reddit, Yik Yak and other unreliable social media sites as a result of the radio silence resulted in one regardless. When an institution you trust doesn’t tell you verified information as quick as possible, the spread of misinformation and fear only grows.
During the shooting at Michigan State University in February of last year, students speculated about multiple gunmen and bombs placed around campus. None of these rumors turned out to be true, and they were put to rest only after police dismissed them in a press conference following the emergency. The value of a central, authoritative source is clear. Highly publicized, real-time information is the solution to false, fast-spreading “news” from informal sources.
Fortunately, the shooting nearly two weeks ago resulted in no fatalities, but the effects of lax communication still echo through the student body. Of course, it takes time for the police and the University to gather the details of an event. While no one expects the details of a crime to be released the instant it occurs, the student body deserves to receive them in a timely manner.
The University should look to MSU’s alert system for guidance. MSU sends alerts to students for all relevant crimes, including those that occur off campus. Moreover, it allows students to sign up for notifications about crime in specific locations, allowing them to take even more control over their safety. Whether a reformed system at the University looks like the one at MSU or something different, the University has to make a change. Students should be able to see crime alerts for their neighborhood, whether they live on campus or in an apartment or house a mile away from the residence halls. This revitalized system should be geared toward students’ direct concerns: It should allow users to opt in or out of receiving certain notifications, such as vandalism, assaults or events of gun violence. This is an easy change to make. The University already understands its protective role for off-campus students when it comes to transportation. The programs Safe Ride and Ride Home offer to drive students home or to their vehicles up to a mile away from Central and North campuses. If the University can provide off-campus safety support when it comes to transport, it could likely do the same for its emergency alerts. Using the same geographic model for late-night transportation systems with the alert system would foster a greater level of connection and protection between the University and its students.
We are grateful for the public safety systems and security personnel the University of Michigan already has in place, but the University has room for improvement. Most students in Ann Arbor live off campus. They deserve the same information granted to those who live on campus. Only with greater transparency can the University truly promote students’ physical safety and emotional security.
This editorial represents the opinion of The Michigan Daily’s Editorial Board. If you are interested in submitting an Op-Ed or Letter to the Editor, please send your submission to tothedaily@michigandaily.com.