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By Sawyer Depp
On October 6th, 2020, Campus Housing sent an email to all second-year students that they “adopted a second-year residential requirement,” citing that “students who live on campus or with a nearby affiliated property achieve higher retention rates, perform better academically, and are more involved than students who live off campus.” This was a surprise to many of the students of UofL who had never been informed of this requirement. What were we to do? Amidst the battering of a pandemic, social injustice within our city, and obvious financial problems in our institution, we accepted it.
But we will not consent to unsafe housing. When we chose to attend the University of Louisville, we were advertised about the safety of this institution. We were told of the “L Trail” and the “Rave Guardian” and the “Campus Escort.” We expected this level of protection when we attended this University, and undoubtedly, we expected this level of protection within our homes when we were required by the University to live on campus for a second year.
We were wrong to expect this. Many of my readers are familiar with what happened on October 11, 2021, just over a year after being informed that we would have to live on campus for a second year, but for those that are not familiar, according to The Retreat, there was an “armed robbery.” The victims were extremely frustrated with this description, which was changed to “[a physical and sexual assault]” in an October 12th email. This was a more apt description of the events that occurred.
In the same October 12th email, the University of Louisville urged students to “walk with confidence and purpose.” Obviously, this is an embarrassingly feeble attempt at providing true protection to a student body living in a city that is in danger of breaking its homicide record for the second straight year.
The truth is, the University has done little to fix the problem. The Retreat advertises itself as a gated community, but in reality, the gate to our “gated community” had been broken for several weeks. Only after the incident on October 11th did The Retreat attempt to fix the gate, a task which they completed around the 19th. For several days AFTER the assault, the gate was not functioning, which would have allowed the assailant to return just as easily as he had the first time. On October 15th, The Retreat reported that they would be “installing something called a latch defender on all back doors.” They asserted that a vendor would be on site by Tuesday, October 19th to complete the install. I am unaware of anyone receiving this install, but I can confirm that I have NOT received any notification of the installation occurring in my own home. UofL cannot protect their own. This has been a truly feeble attempt to address a dangerous situation.
UofL responded just as poorly to the victims of the assault. After the assault, they offered to separate the roommates, but the victims declined. The Retreat then offered to pay for three days of a hotel stay. Initially, the victims expected to be relocated following these three days. They erred in expecting such enthusiasm from housing. Two and a half weeks later, they were still without a home. Obviously, several of the victims and their families contacted The Retreat asking to be relocated but received little response. In fact, on October 18th, while waiting for an answer, The Retreat sent an email titled “Detectives and Donuts,” asking students to eat donuts while discussing safety tips with ULPD. While the true victims waited for assistance from the University which required several of them to live on campus for a second year, The Retreat ignored their calls and hosted another event. Finally, after nearly three weeks, they were relocated to a new home.
The Retreat claims that they are not responsible for break-ins, but at the least, the University should do what it can to protect its students. When we chose to attend this University, we—along with our families—expected the institution to do everything possible to keep its students comfortable and safe. We are uncomfortable and unsafe. This must be addressed. The University of Louisville must take accountability for their actions. They must hold their housing to a higher standard and ensure that that standard is met. The few cameras that they possess are located just outside of the community itself. Our gates have holes, do not function, or are non-existent. Housing mistreated the victims and has done little to accommodate them. I must applaud the PEACC center for their resources and assistance to victims of these horrid circumstances. I urge the University to heed their advice. It is time to be active rather than reactive. Fulfill your duty and protect your students. From a student searching for safety, it is time for change.
Sawyer Depp is a McConnell Scholar in the class of 2024. He is studying political science, history, and creative writing at the University of Louisville.