In hopes to protect their student’s safety, The University of Minnesota has implemented an emergency communication system designed to keep students informed during threatening situations. Recently, SAFE-U alerts have become a common occurrence on campus, with students receiving a couple notifications per week. Whether it is another shooting, assault, or robbery, students have become unfazed by the ding on their phone. When signed up, students and staff receive alerts via text, email, and phone call. However, students have recently shown concern about the effectiveness of this system, especially when incidents are reported hours later. For instance, last week, both a robbery and an assault occurred on campus, but students and staff were notified the following day. 5 years ago, a shooting or assault would have been a huge deal on campus. Today, these occurrences have become unbelievably common. The residents on and near campus are concerned about the timeliness of information and its impact on student safety. 

Over the past four years, it has become widely known that the city of Minneapolis has faced significant turmoil, much like Kamala Harris’s San Francisco. The recent crime in Minneapolis raises serious concern for incoming students at the University of Minnesota. In order to keep the University enrollment up, the city of Minneapolis must fix their crime before more parents refuse to send their children to this city. Many feel that Governor and Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz has played a detrimental role in the city’s decline, and yet, some of his biggest supporters were here to witness the consequences of his poor leadership. 

With the election just a week away, United States citizens are conducting their final research to determine who will receive their votes. A common concern among voters is the open border policy and significant rise in crime that Kamala Harris created. By observing the beautiful city of Minneapolis transform into a warzone, many find it hard to believe that Governor Tim Walz has what it takes to lead this country in the right direction. Additionally, Kamala Harris, who has been in office for nearly four years, has faced criticism for allowing our border to be completely open, causing crime to spiral out of control. Given this context, it is baffling that Minneapolis remains one of the most democratic cities in the nation, especially after the city’s residents watched their community deteriorate. Will these issues improve if Kamala Harris and Tim Walz are elected into office? 

The University of Minnesota finds itself in a challenging position, as the campus is just minutes away from a dangerous city. Instead of focusing on educating their students and enhancing the university experience, UMN leaders are stuck concentrating on improving campus safety and addressing the escalating crime rates in Minneapolis. The presence of the light rail, often filled with homelessness and drug activity, continues to raise concern among university officials. Ideally, the City of Minneapolis would attract students to come to the University of Minnesota, but it seems to be one of the main reasons applicants are turning away. Optimistically, the city would strengthen its inadequately sized police department and rapidly tackle crime; otherwise, this sad situation in Minneapolis could worsen and continue to flood into campus. With Minneapolis being on track to look like San Francisco, there remains hope for this city’s recovery. The upcoming election will most definitely play a huge role in the future of Minneapolis.