The University of Georgia said Tuesday it will spend an additional $8.5 million over the next three years on additional safety measures on campus and for students when they go to downtown Athens.
The announcement comes amid a recent rash of crime near the Athens campus.
UGA said it will hire 10 campus officers and civilian support staff. The university will place more lights and cameras in highly traveled pedestrian areas, as well as in and around residence halls. It will contribute $250,000 to the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government for lighting and/or security camera improvements in the downtown business district and poorly lit pathways to and from campus. UGA will also spend up to $1 million a year on transportation options that include a nightly rideshare program for students.
“As president of the University of Georgia, I have no higher priority than the health and safety of our campus community—students, faculty, staff, and the many alumni and other visitors who come here each year for programs and events,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said in a statement Tuesday. “I care deeply about their well-being. While no university can ever guarantee individual safety or a complete lack of crime on campus or in the local community, my administration is committed to doing all that is within our power to help keep our community safe.”
UGA this month, according to police reports online, has investigated a weapon on school grounds, robberies, and on Oct. 16, a sexual battery complaint at Sanford Stadium when Georgia Bulldogs beat the Kentucky Wildcats. UGA police have received several other complaints this month of sexual violence on campus, but the alleged victims declined to talk to police, according to the online reports.
In recent years, UGA said it has spent more than $5.7 million on security cameras, campus lighting and other safety measures. Off campus, the university said it has assigned an officer to focus on the safety of those traveling to and from downtown in the early morning hours.
