CSUN parents view the campus as a safe place for their children to receive their education, as they gathered for Parent Day in Plaza Del Sol Saturday morning.
Parents and guardians attended the event to find out more about the campus and what they can do to make their children’s stay at CSUN easier for them.
But with the recent gunman scare and the burglaries at the dorms, questions of safety came to the minds of parents.
Rosie Alonzo, a 1997 CSUN alumna, took some issue with how the campus dealt with the notifications the day of the gunman situation.
“I was concerned that (the university) waited so long,” she said, having worried for her son who is a mechanical engineering major. “Maybe an alert could have gone out earlier, perhaps just to make (the students) aware, but it could have gone out a little earlier.”
Though Alonzo said the initial notifications were slow, she feels that the campus handled the situation well.
“I thought it was adequate. I think it could have been done better, but I don’t think it was too poor,” she said. “I was glad to see the notifications. I think once they notified us, it was really nice, because after that (the campus had) timely updates, and I really appreciated that.”
Her husband, Arnie, was not worried about their son, because of how they raised him.
“He’s safe because he’s street smart,” he said about his freshman son. “I taught him to be street smart, so he knows how to stay away from (danger) if it does happen.”
On the other hand, Grace Ynvienco, whose freshman daughter is an art major, thinks the campus handled the gunman situation well.
“I don’t see any need to improve because I was impressed with the prompt communication regarding (the incident),” she said. “I don’t know if it was (blown out of proportion), but I’m glad we got to know that that happened.”
For other families, the gunman incident and dorm burglaries did not compromise their thoughts about CSUN’s safety.
“It can’t be worse than where we’re from. We’re used to growing up with crime everywhere, and unfortunately it’s inevitable,” said Bernadette Schell, whose freshman daughter moved from the Stockton-area to attend CSUN. “You have to learn how to be street smart and take care of your things. Hopefully they make smart decisions and learn from what else is going around and what’s happened to other people.”
Schell’s daughter, Brittany, who is a fashion and merchandise major, had some concerns during the gunman incident.
“I was kind of nervous, looking around every corner to make sure I’d be safe,” Brittany said. “I felt okay, but I didn’t feel too scared.”
Brittany, who lives in the dorms, said she feels comfortable living at the dorms although she was very concerned about the burglaries last year.
Her mother said that she would like to see more security, but knows it is improbable due to the budget cuts.
Even with the delayed notifications and the burglaries in the dorms, the Alonzo family feel safe with their son coming to CSUN.
“There’s nothing going on here that would deter me from sending him here,” Rosie said. “It’s no worse or better than any other campus. I think we measure up nicely for this area. I think we’re doing very well.”
