By Bobby Hankinson
Incoming physical therapy major Lori Cushner from Allentown, Pa., had not considered safety to be one of her primary issues of concern when choosing a university to attend.
“I never really considered safety as a big issue. I didn’t like the idea of a place like New York City where safety isn’t great at all, but I wanted to go to school in a bigger city. Boston seemed like a better place to go,” Cushner said.
However, that was before she knew about the events that followed the New England Patriots’ Super Bowl victory. Upon learning that 2,000 students took to the streets near the university, flipped six cars, and left one 21-year-old dead after a hit-and-run accident, Cushner was shocked, but still did not feel this would impact her view of Northeastern.
“I don’t know how much it would change my decision on attending, but I have heard that drinking is, like it is in all the other colleges, very very frequent,” Cushner said. “I don’t blame Northeastern, but I think I’m a little more skeptical about the kinds of people I’d make friends with. Too many people get drunk and stupid, and I guess college makes that more possible.”
To ensure other incoming freshmen are not worried about the riot aftermath and Northeastern’s reputation, the New Student Orientation Office has already begun preparation to assuage the fears of incoming students, including those concerning public safety.
“We always talk about how to handle tough questions,” said Beth Rosenbleet, the associate director of new student orientation. “We do it through scenarios and present Orientation Leaders (OL) with questions, then talk about the best way to answer them.”
Rosenbleet also said stressing the postive aspects of campus and utilizing the OLs’ personal experiences helps to alleviate fears of new students and their parents.
“What makes NU unique, special and safe is the general message always presented, and we plan on continuing that. When parents and students come to us with concerns and talk to our staff, it’s their experience that keeps things in reality,” Rosenbleet said. “We don’t plan on making changes in our program. Our training is through conversation, discussion and roleplay so that the Orientation Leaders are prepared and confident to address questions when they get them. Topics are fueled by the Orientation Leaders and we continue to let them bring up issues to the staff and talk about what is the best way to deal with them.”
Rosenbleet said she hopes the OLs will be able to calm the fears of families and show them Northeastern is no different than any other city school.
“I think parents will probably be a bit more concerned about safety on campus in the wake of this past year, but they’ve always been greatly concerned about safety on an urban campus,” said Lindsay Jones, a sophomore math major and former OL. “I believe that Northeastern University and Boston Police, in cooperation, have done as much as they can to halt riot violence after major sporting events. They must make aware to the incoming students and parents the measures that they already have in place.”
Ronne Patick, the dean of admissions, said it’s too early to tell if these events will have an effect on admissions this year and in the future.
“From what I recall, when it first happened we just had a few calls from families commenting on things,” Patrick said. “We just started releasing decisions and in mid-March and April, we will have more visitors on campus. If it’s an issue, then we’ll hear about it.”
However, the Admissions Office is continuing to prepare its tour guides to be able to address questions regarding the riots.
“One thing we try to do with all of our staff is to keep them up to date about the situation so they respond honestly, but put things in context,” Patrick said. “When this occurred, we wanted to make sure they had the facts to all talk consistently.”
While the riots first made national news immediately after they occurred, the coverage has slowly become more localized, leading to the possibility that some incoming students from out of state may still be unaware.
Snow said questions about the riots have only come up twice while she was giving tours, but that she had been prepared to answer them.
“One mother asked if I felt safe after what had happened. I answered that coming to a campus in a city is a higher risk no matter what university you attend,” said Alex Snow, a middler English major and a co-op at the Admissions Visitor Center.
Most important, Snow said, was to maintain a balance between staying positive and staying honest.
“We met with our supervisor and we weren’t told exactly what to say, but we were given the statement released by President [Richard] Freeland and we were given the option to either repeat it or answer what we felt,” she said. “We are under the impression that we are in a customer service atmosphere and must portray NU in a positive light, but we still need to stay honest with students and parents.”
As far as any immediate effect on admissions, Snow said over 2,000 visitors were on campus last week, and not one of them asked anything regarding the events.
“In my previous experience, when some situations occurred that might have affected safety, questions about safety are usually never the single reason why a student chooses not to come,” Patrick said.
