Zohaeb Atiq
After many newspaper issues of ‘On Campus Opinion’ in The Vector, we have decided to modify this segment as NJIT is one of the schools with high diversity in the student body. We want to get a deeper understanding of what people on campus think about a variety of topics.
Last week, a mugging occurred off-campus. As many people around University Heights have heard, this incident occurred to an NJIT student at approximately 9:58 P.M. on February 10. The student was reported to have been walking alone when three men approached her from behind, held an object against her back, and told her to give everything she had.
Many people have different opinions about this incident. The first person asked was Dipika Ghosh, a graduate student studying Electrical Engineering. Ghosh goes on to say the fault lies with the student, as she should have not walked alone, but at least in a group. Ghosh points out safer options such as using the Rutgers-NJIT shuttle service or even better, asking public safety for help.
Another graduate student, Mohanad Altarash, who is studying Telecommunications, relates by saying he comes from a third world country and notes that America is the most powerful country in the world, yet people still have to live in fear of getting mugged, especially in Newark. He says it might have been the student’s daily routine to walk in that route, but things happen and it is only human. Before the interview, he was not aware of the fact that public safety offers escorts for people on campus; he later noted that it is a good service that people should utilize.
Michael Rivera, who is studying Mathematics of Finance and Actuarial Science, gave an interview in Oak. He did not take sides, but says the student did not ask to be robbed. He also mentions that she should have been more aware of her surroundings and should have been walking with someone. Although, he goes on say that things still could have happened. Michael mentions that even in this tragic event there is a good lesson for everyone to be safer when walking at night around Newark.
The last person we spoke with was Arlene Davis, who is a sophomore studying Mechanical Engineering. She points out that people walking on campus at night are safe, but it is not the same when people are walking off-campus. She believes that what had happened is not the student’s fault and that, as an independent person, the student that was mugged made her choice to walk alone.
The opinions we got were varied as people pointed out many views that we did not consider prior to the interviews. Perhaps you as a reader learned something new as well. What happened could have happened to anyone, so students should act smarter to avoid these tragic incidents when on and off campus. If anyone, a student or a faculty member, feel threatened at any time they can contact Public Safety Emergency at 973-596-3120 and ask for an escort.
