Paul, Greek Life discuss emergency phone locations

Greek Life representatives want to look at other safety options.

By Amanda Wysocki

Published Feb. 10, 2009

In light of a meeting with Greek Life representatives last Thursday, Missouri Students Association President Jordan Paul is reassessing possible locations for emergency phones.

One of Paul's campaign promises was to install emergency phones in Greektown, but that plan might change.

"In the wake of the meeting, we're reassessing potential locations right now," Paul said. "I think they had a very valid point about the center of Greektown not being a place that needed phones."

Many of the representatives cited a concern over whether students really felt unsafe in Greektown.

"I don't believe that the emergency phones are necessarily the solution that everyone is looking for," Interfraternity Council President Danny Jonas said. "With technology moving at the speed it is, along with the feeling that most presidents shared about our Greek living areas already being such safe living environments, the general consensus was that emergency phones would not serve their desired purpose."

The Panhellenic Association representatives were more responsive to the emergency phone installation but also voiced concerns over whether the locations should change.

"I think they would be a step in the right direction, but are not best solution to improving Greektown safety," PHA President Caroline Vastyan said.

Along with concerns over placement of the phones, Greek Life representatives said they were skeptical about the effectiveness upon finding out a large majority of the calls at other phone locations were made by people who had left by the time police arrived.

Paul said they would now look at the possibility of installing phones on some of the fringe areas of campus, such as areas near Providence Road and Turner Street.

"It's not like it does us any good to go in with something they don't want," Paul said of Greek Life representatives. "It does no good to provide a service that they aren't interested in."

Jonas said he would like to see MSA look into other universities' Greek systems to see if other safety options would work better for Greektown.

Vastyan also voiced a desire to look at other options.

"Both IFC and PHA want to make Greektown the safest it can be, but didn't agree that investing in E-Phones was the best use of funds," Vastyan said.

Paul expected the Greek Life representatives to raise concerns at the meeting.

"I assumed they would have some issues and I think we cleared up some issues they were worried about," Paul said. "If they don't think we need a phone in the middle of Greektown, we aren't going to put one there. They were not wholly dismissive of emergency phones. They just thought they should be placed in different areas. I'd rather have them installed in areas where they have concerns."

MSA Senate Speaker Jonathan Mays, who also attended the meeting, said he felt some of the things suggested would be better plans. Some of these ideas included increasing lighting and instituting a mass text system similar to the one that MU has in place but would be specific to the Greek community.

"I think it became increasingly clear that it isn't their desire to place phones in the heart of Greektown," Mays said.

Jonas was also enthusiastic about the outcome of the meeting.

"I thought the meeting went great," Jonas said. "All presidents were extremely grateful that there are MSA leaders willing to work with them to make our Greek community a much safer one."