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Hannah Cohen
Nicole Williams
The Journalistic Essay
October 15th, 2014
Talk of the Town
The new Bridgewater State University nighttime transit system was introduced at the
beginning of the Fall 2014 semester. An email was sent out to all students, informing them of the
changes in the system. The previous system required students to call into the dispatch center
located in the Moakley Lot. The dispatcher would then let the vans and buses know where
students needed to be picked up. This was an easy and convenient system, at least for the
students who needed a ride. The system became what is known around campus as the drunk
bus, which for a dry campus is not a good reputation to have. Bridgewater State University is
known to be strict when it comes to the alcohol policy, however, if a student consumes the
alcohol off campus and they are overage, there is nothing the school can do.
The new nighttime system runs similarly to the daytime system, that is it stops at
designated locations all over campus. However, there are only four places the bus stops: two on
east campus and two on west campus, but as soon as the library closes, there is only one stop
open and that one is at the Spring Street location. Students can call the dispatcher if they need to
and they can be picked up at any location around campus. This system can be a little dangerous
because if a student is alone and in need of a ride, they may not get one for up to fifteen minutes.
Sometimes, if the bus is running late, it can take even more time. The point of a safety system
is not to be convenient for the driver, rather the safety and convenience of the students. A student

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should be able to feel safe when they are going to study, and this is something that the system
lacks.
I spoke with a former employee of the Safety system and a current employee of the
Transit system and he said that the Safety system was much better because it was less confusing
for students. It was also easier on the drivers as well. It was a better system to work for, he
stated. I found it to be more organized than Transit and I just had more fun doing Safety rather
than Transit. The person I spoke with wishes to remain anonymous.
Bridgewater State University has an app for smart phones. Part of it allows students to
live track the busses. However, they are more than likely inaccurate. I learned that the app is a
minute or two behind, depending on the stop they are located. This is, again, an unsafe system to
have in place because if a student wants to get on the bus right away, they cannot because they
have to wait for the bus for an unknown amount of time.
The most important part of anyones life is the need to feel safe. If students cannot feel
safe on campus, it is hard for them to become independent. Students deserve to be able to travel
alone without the fear of being hurt or attacked. With the new Transit system, it is harder for
students to travel safely around the campus because of the lack of stops. With the old Safety
system, students were able to wait inside a building or in a safer location to wait for the bus to
pick them up.

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The Hidden Rapes On BSU Campus
Recently, a story broke about Bridgewater State University hiding two rapes on campus.
This blatant disregard for the truth caused uproar in the campus community. So far this year, four
young women have come forward about someone assaulting them. It causes many people in the
campus community to wonder: how many more before this problem is taken care of? It is cause
for concern because if the people who committed the crimes are never identified, how are the
students supposed to know who is safe and who is a danger to them?
Many students feel as though they had been lied to about a serious matter involving their
safety. The whole entire thing just seems really shady and very sketchy it makes me feel
unsettled, says a female student at BSU. Claiming that sexual assault, sexual misconduct, and
relationship violence are of utmost importance and urgency to Bridgewater State University, in
an email sent out the night that the news broke, the school claims to have complied with the
Clery Act. The act states that the school is obligated to notify students if there is a continuing
threat on campus. However many students feel as though the school should have informed
students regardless of an ongoing threat. If there was a robbery or a murder, we would hear
about it immediately, said one BSU student, Why werent we informed about something as
serious as this [rape]? This is a common feeling of students all across campus and, in fact all
over the country. This fact makes students wonder what else the school was hiding from them.
Students now feel unsafe around campus, which could be affecting their learning and their study
habits. The new Transit system that takes students around campus does not go to every building
on campus, rather it only goes to certain locations on campus.

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Many college campuses have what is known as the blue light system. It is one of the
first things that anyone knows about any campus they tour. It is an important aspect of any
campus to have this system. However, according to CampusGuardian.com, getting to a Blue
Light system takes time and delays notification, requires the caller to remain at that location and
may not be a viable option in some emergencies. If this is true, how is someone supposed to use
that in a situation where they should still be moving away from someone? How is it that a victim
of a crime can use this phone without feeling like they are going to be attacked again? There
needs to be a better way to protect our student body.
Since the rapes on campus occurred, many students are speaking out about how it was
hidden from students. The schools president Dana Mohler-Faria, along with many other
members of the student body and the faculty, has created a Task Force on Sexual Assault
Prevention. In the email, sent out to every member of the campus community, Mohler-Faria
states that the goal of the task force includes students engaging in a comprehensive discussion
concerning how we [the students and faculty] might improve every aspect of campus safety
relative to sexual assault and relationship violence This statement came just as many people
were becoming even more frustrated at the way the situations were handled. The task force got
good reception
According to Women Against Organized Rape (WOAR), one in three women will be
sexually assaulted in their lifetime. (woar.org). Another statistic is that 60% of rapes go
unreported. (rainn.com). These facts are national statistics, not only college and university
statistics. The reality of rape is something that many women think about daily. However, it is not
only women who are raped: one in thirty- three men are raped every year and 15% of all sexual

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assaults are children under the age 12. (rainn.org). These stats cannot be forgotten because if
they are the so-called Rape Culture will forever be a problem in society.
If you or anyone you know is sexually assaulted or raped, seek help immediately. Too
many rapes go unreported in the world, especially those that are committed by people who
supposedly love their victim. If Rape Culture continues, it will only get worse, and if it is
perpetuated, it will not change. The National Sexual Assault Hotline phone number is 1-800656-HOPE (4673) and there is an online hotline as well, with links through many different sites.
The people on these hotlines are meant to help you and this service is always free, confidential
and secure.