As the new school year approaches, the University of Delaware is considering mandating “safety” classes for students who are caught jaywalking on and around campus.
Philly.com reports that via now-removed Facebook and Twitter announcements by the university, the campus police department warned that “students caught jaywalking this fall would be cited and ordered to attend [the] classes.”
UD Media Relations Manager Peter Bothum said it is “too early” to discuss specifics details about the new policy, but the report notes jaywalking has been an “ongoing source of concern” at the school.
Three years ago, the Newark, Delaware (UD’s hometown) police department increased its jaywalking vigilance by citing student jaywalkers with $80 penalties after a student was struck and killed by a vehicle. But the department said it hasn’t yet gotten an “official request” from UD about coordinating with its new proposed policy.
Whether the new policy in Newark will make a difference on campus was unclear, students said.
“No one is going to take it seriously,” said Daniel Worthington, a senior finance major.
Andrew Casamento, a senior accounting major, said he thought the university did a good job of maintaining safety but “I think they’re overdoing it” with the new initiative. Still, he did say the $85 fine he paid as a sophomore for jaywalking on campus made an impression. “I haven’t jaywalked since,” he said.
Madeline Stabler-Buiano, who graduated from Delaware in May, agreed mandatory classes may be “a little extreme,” but said the policy could increase safety on campus.
“It’s good to have [a policy] in place to protect students,” she said, “especially on the weekends when their judgments are inhibited.”
Worthington’s assessment is 100 percent correct. Much like any mandatory “diversity” seminar or something similar, it’s certainly not difficult to imagine students’ eyes glazing over while slide after slide from a grad student’s PowerPoint presentation features clipart figures with happy faces “properly” using campus crosswalks. Maybe there’ll be some role-playing exercises, too, with the instructor playing a campus public safety officer while students are engaged in various forms of “jaywalkery.”
Seriously — isn’t a stiff fine deterrent enough?
It won’t be surprising if the town of Newark ultimately signs on to assist UD in its effort. It already charges twenty-five cents for a meager twelve minutes on its parking meters, and it recently proposed doubling municipal parking lot fees from one dollar per hour to two. The town’s parking enforcement officers perpetually march up and down its main avenues, and are right on top of any just-expired meters.
These fees may seem paltry to some; however, the cost of living in Delaware is considerably less than that of surrounding states, not to mention Newark is a pretty small town. By contrast, parking in and around Villanova University for example — which is near Philadelphia and in a much more affluent area — is considerably cheaper.
MORE: Prof claims racial profiling after jaywalking arrest
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