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BY JEFF DAVIDSON

In print | Published April 16, 2009

According to a Public Safety awareness bulletin and a Swarthmore Borough Police report, a Villanova student visiting McCabe Library was robbed at gunpoint on Tuesday, April 14 at 11:55 p.m. near the Alice Paul and Mertz Dorms.

The student was heading towards his car, which was parked in Bond Parking Lot, when he passed in between the dorms and was met by two attackers. The student was knocked to the ground by one of two suspects and, with the gun at his head, asked where he was holding money. The student told the suspects that the money was in his backpack.

During the incident, the second suspect repeatedly asked, “Should we shoot him?” The suspects ordered the student to keep his head down as they ran off towards the train station with his backpack, wallet and cell phone.

Chief of Borough Police Brian Craig said that a similar event, with suspects that fit the same description, occurred 30 minutes earlier in Springfield.

According to the Borough Police report, a Swarthmore student witnessed the event and described the suspects as black males with dark hooded sweatshirts. One suspect is tall and thin while the other is stockier. The student immediately reported the event to Public Safety and the Swarthmore and Springfield police searched the area but did not find the suspects.

“We’re working with the Springfield police department to see if anything’s in common,” Craig said. “We’ll keep Public Safety informed about anything we hear about.”

The police department and Public Safety are working closely to make sure all information is properly relayed. According to Associate Dean for Student Life Myrt Westphal, the main investigation is in the hands of the Borough Police now because the event happened within their jurisdiction but the matter involves a lot of cooperation between the two groups.

“The officers are aware of it and doing their patrols looking out for anybody who fits that description,” Craig said. “We’re hoping by getting the information out we get some more people with information.”

Vice President for Facilities and Services Stuart Hain, who was alerted at 1 a.m. Wednesday about the event, said that for at least the next two nights there will be an extra officer patrolling the campus between 8 p.m. and 4 a.m.

“We’re certainly working with the police to figure out a way to solve this problem,” Hain said. “We always have more officers on for Friday night, we just added more for the next two nights too until we’re a little more comfortable with what’s going on.”

Westphal also said that the administration has been in close contact with deans of Villanova. She noted that the emotional and psychological follow-ups of the event will happen at Villanova, “but the severity of it happening on campus is equal to it happening to one of our students.”

The issue becomes even more of a security issue as 363 admitted students and parents are expected to arrive for Ride the Tide this Thursday and Friday. Westphal pointed out the basic steps to ensure safety.

“I think by alerting the campus with the public safety awareness bulletin that all of the students hosting specs perhaps will pass on not to walk alone in the dark and the kinds of things we teach our students about how to be safe,” Westphal said. “Mainly don’t walk at night without a companion.”

Hain has been happy with the police response so far, and he too stresses the need for students to act safely.

“We’re making sure people are aware,” Hain said. “We’re hoping people will pay attention and be safe while they walk the campus.”

Anyone with further information should immediately contact Public Safety at x8281 or Swarthmore Police Department at (610) 543-0123.

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