Happy week two, Pioneers! We hope that all of you are getting settled into your classes and are starting to get a feel for how to balance your schedule. Remember, it’s best to maintain a balance between the responsibilities of your classes, job and any additional campus activities you may be part of. As a student, taking care of yourself is your most important responsibility.
We would like to touch on the tragedy that occurred on Rice University’s campus on August 26. According to CBS, Andrea Rodriguez Avila, a student who had transferred to Rice in the Spring 2024 semester, was shot to death in her own dorm room. Our thoughts are with her family and everyone grieving the loss of Avila, as she should still be here today. Any death caused by reckless gun violence is a death that could have been prevented.
It is troubling that nobody seemed to know what happened to Avila before her parents requested a welfare check. How is it that not one student heard gunshots ringing out in a dorm hall, or that police weren’t notified the moment this senseless act of violence took place?
Rice University police handled the situation well after finding Avila, but this still should not have happened. We would like to remind all returning students as well as new students that Point Park does have police officers that are here to protect students every hour of the day.
Regardless of your thoughts on policing, remember that they can handle potentially dangerous situations better than the average college student. Unlike most city police officers, ours are trained to communicate clearly with students and understand our concerns. The campus police officers are members of our community and are there to help students who are asking questions or requesting help.
If you are ever in a situation on campus where you feel unsafe, call 412-392-3960. Saving this number as a contact in your phone can help too. Remember, our desk security and our police are two different groups. Point Park police are not security guards or “mall cops” – they can help you just like the Pittsburgh police can, if not better.