Greektown safety inspected on walk

By Kathleen Pointer
May 2, 2008

Megan Sparks, Department of Student Services Campus Safety Committee chairwoman, talks to representatives from Phi Mu sorority, Chi Omega sorority, Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity, Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity about a pothole in Greektown during Tuesday’s MSA Greek Safety Walk.

Greek students and MSA members walked through Greektown and Frat Row on Tuesday night for the first Missouri Students Association Greek Safety Walk. They met in A022 Brady Commons at 8 a.m., where they divided into four groups. The groups included three for Greektown and one for Frat Row on College Avenue. Greek students were encouraged to walk with the group that would be covering their house.

This safety walk was missing some of the elements of the MSA Campus safety walk. Although the MU Police Department and MU Campus Facilities were invited, both declined, said Jordan Paul, MSA Department of Student Services director.

“Campus Facilities were invited, but decided not to come. But we didn’t really expect them to,” Paul said. “Since Greektown is a separate entity, they’ll need to contact Campus Facilities on their own to have them fix any identified problems.”

Phil Shocklee, Associate Director of Campus Facilities, said Campus Facilities declined attendance because of their lack of activity with Greektown.

“They’re privately owned residences, and therefore we have not worked in those areas,” Shocklee said. “If Greektown wanted to have work done, it could be a possibility, but they would have to hire MU Campus Facilities.”

MUPD also declined to attend because Greek houses are considered off-campus and therefore not under their jurisdiction, Paul said. Columbia Police Department was invited to attend, but had to cancel earlier in the afternoon because of a crowded Citizen’s Academy that evening. They attempted to reschedule with MSA, but due to the late notice, it wasn’t possible, Paul said.

Although Greektown is covered by the City of Columbia, members of the Greek community still tend to feel ignored when it comes to issues of safety, DSS Campus Safety Chairwoman Megan Sparks said.

“The Greeks can feel a little bit ostracized when there is a safety issue,” Sparks said. “We’re not a part of campus, so MU facilities and maintenance cannot help us, and Columbia tends to overlook our safety issues.”

Sparks said the relationship between MU and Greektown tends to be a bit of a tug-of-war.

“There was an outcry from the Greek community to be included in campus safety policies and maintenance, but the problem is that you can’t decide to be a part of campus when there’s a problem,” Sparks said. “This goes both ways — the university cannot include us or exclude us at their convenience either.”

Sparks, who led a group around Greektown, said the problems she noticed were on city property.

“The biggest problems I noticed were missing valve covers and torn up sidewalks,” Sparks said. “A person on crutches or in a wheelchair shouldn’t have to worry about these problems. Especially because the city owns the sidewalks and valves, it is their responsibility to maintain them.”

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Greektown safety inspected on walk

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