Paige Khoury, the parent of a first-year student and organizer of the protest against crime near campus, leads a group of parents and students around the Jesse Owens Plaza outside Ohio Stadium Saturday. Credit: Sarah Szilagy | Special Projects Reporter
Against a sea of scarlet and gray, about 20 Ohio State parents and students with bright orange signs gathered in front of Ohio Stadium Saturday, calling for more permanent safety measures in the on- and off-campus areas.
Donning bright orange shirts in a stance against gun violence, the protesters paced Jesse Owens Plaza from Woodruff Avenue to Ohio Stadium, chanting “our students deserve better.”
“As parents, we’re scared,” Paige Khoury, the mother of a first-year student from Dublin, Ohio, and the group’s organizer, said. “Kids should be worrying about their grades and living the college life and not worrying about having a gun shoved in their face. It’s not okay.”
Buckeyes for a Safe Ohio State is a group largely composed of parents of Ohio State students concerned with the rise of crime in the on- and off-campus areas, Khoury said. They want more permanent safety measures, such as increased lighting and police patrolling in the University District.
In the month of August, there was a sum of six neighborhood safety notices with two in September so far — compared to two in August and September 2020 combined, according to the Department of Public Safety website.
Jeannie Chase, the mother of a first-year student from Chicago, said there was a shooting in front of her son’s apartment the night that he moved in.
“It’s scary,” Chase said. “We’re trying to get the president to acknowledge what’s going on and to do something about it instead of saying that things are happening when it’s not and that crime is going down when it’s not.”
University spokesperson Ben Johnson said in a statement that university administrators meet with students and parents regularly to discuss safety and welcome their ongoing participation in the conversation.
“The safety of the Ohio State community is our highest priority,” Johnson said. “We are concerned about crime on and off campus and are taking multiple measures to keep students, faculty and staff safe.”
Johnson said the university is working with the Columbus Police to increase police presence and increase lighting and security cameras off campus.
Parents in the group have called and wrote members of the Board of Trustees and University President Kristina M. Johnson, Katharine Mallory, the mother of a first-year student, said. She said the current alert system is insufficient, and crime reports should be sent out as immediately as possible.
Ian Underburger, a third-year in civil engineering, was one of the few students joining the group of parents on Jesse Owens Plaza. He said increased crime has made him feel unsafe walking around, so much so that he avoids High Street.
“I wish I could just feel safe walking out there whenever I could,” Underburger said. “I wish there was more of a security presence. I know there is some security out there already, but I think they need to keep patrolling all that more.”
Mary DelValle, the mother of a second-year in public health from Cleveland, said she is concerned with the lack of follow-up after safety notices go out. She wants students to be informed on active investigations, keeping them aware of ongoing threats and closed cases.
“I love it here, but I want my son to be safe, and I want him to be able to do everything you should be able to do as a college student, and not have to worry about taking his life in his hands when he walks out, off of the campus,” Delvalle said.
In their reasons for gathering, a few parents mentioned Chase Meola, a fifth-year in marketing who was shot and killed outside of the Phi Kappa Psi fraternity in October 2020. Mallory said the group “marches for Meola.”
“We don’t want his death to be in vain –– that’s why we’re here,” Khoury said.
Mallory said the group plans to protest outside of Ohio Stadium each upcoming game day.
“As parents, we see you,” Khoury said. “We see the students and we’re worried for you and we’re trying to advocate for you.”
Mary Kidwell, Sarah Szilagy and Jessica Orozco contributed reporting.
