SAMU hosted its second annual Transit and Safety Expo on Sept. 17 in the student lounge. Between classes, students had the opportunity to speak with transit officials, such as peace officers and the ETS rider engagement team.
Students could ask questions about safety and transit navigation, and walk away with a first-aid kit.
Last year, when SAMU first hosted the event, they primarily collaborated with campus security. This year, they took a different route and involved the city. Annette Kelm, the student service manager for SAMU, said the event is “a preventative kind of conversation, so that students are safe.”
First-year bachelor of arts student Austin Stone said transit safety could always be better, but that overall, EPS and ETS are doing well.
“I see them going up and down the street all the time, making sure everyone’s okay. So, I believe that they do make a good impact,” said Stone.
Bachelor of commerce student Arham Shaikh tends to agree.
“Transit safety overall is more or less safe. Obviously, it’s not perfect. I do think that they could do more, because there is still drug use happening. I think it would be more appreciated that they work on that part a little bit more,” he said.
“Overall, they’ve been doing a really, really good job keeping us safe. You know, minimizing the harm that’s happening in subways. You know, because compared to any other places, subways would usually be a dangerous place. But here, it’s more or less pretty good.”
