Safety concerns prompt shrub removal at courts

Following a series of recent incidents including the robbery of a University student last month, maintenance personnel have removed bushes and trees near the tennis courts behind Dillon Gym.

Public Safety and the student life office ordered that the bushes be removed to make the area more visible from Elm Drive.

The actual landscaping work was conducted Oct. 30, according to Public Safety Crime Prevention Specialist Barry Weiser.

In addition to the recent robbery, an unidentified male jumped out of the bushes while a female student was walking near the tennis courts Oct. 4 and made harassing noises, according to Public Safety.

Vice President for Campus Life Janet Dickerson said the walkway by the tennis courts is "a problem area" and officials would continue to monitor that part of campus to find additional ways to make it safer.

Weiser said the walkway had been an "area that had been of some concern" in the past because of its isolation from the rest of campus and lack of visibility.

A group of students and administrators walked around campus Oct. 19 to identify potentially dangerous areas. During this walk, they cited the space near the tennis courts as an area with which they were especially concerned, Dickerson said.

According to Weiser, after the two incidents near the courts, Public Safety received requests from students to take measures to make the area safer. As a result, officers started to patrol the area more.

In addition, after the reported harassment, University administrators began discussing ways to deter crime in that area. But, according to Dickerson, officials at first were hesitant to remove the bushes.

However, authorities eventually decided to remove the shrubberies in the interest of safety. "When it was realized we could not come up with a solution that would save the hedges, the decision was made" to remove them, Dickerson said.

Public Safety Associate Director Sinclair Hill said yesterday that officials hope the removal of the bushes will deter similar incidents in the future.

University officials are also discussing placing additional lighting in the area near the tennis courts.

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Most students questioned yesterday said they support the landscaping change.

Haylee Cohen '04 said she had been concerned about the area. "After getting the e-mail [about the robbery near the tennis courts], I got a little scared of my own shadow." She said she felt safer now that she could see all around the tennis courts.

Becky Barak '04 agreed. "I think it's good if it makes people feel more safe," she said.