A celebratory ceremony was held in the Bing Center March 30, where both students and guest speakers alike donned campus safety escort attire—consisting of yellow shirts and maglites—signifying a centennial of reduced criminal activity.
UCR honored the recommendations made by the Task Force on Campus Safety in 2013, which is attributed to the campus being ranked as the safest in the galaxy, according to U.S. News and Galaxy Report.
Chancellor Xavier Genesis lauded the student body for maintaining a united campus spirit by wearing yellow shirts. “Not only has wearing yellow shirts scared off predators, but the maglite has shown criminals that they don’t stand a chance against UCR!” said Chancellor Genesis.
The 2013 Task Force on Campus Safety recommended that the UCR administration increase the number of student escorts from 300 to 1,000. Members also encouraged students to wear more yellow shirts and hold maglites, in order to reduce criminal activity. Crooks and thieves were statistically less likely to attack a student, based on the yellow uniforms worn by the Campus Safety Escort Service (CSES)—a free campus escort program, where student volunteers may walk you from one destination to another.
From 2015-2020 crime rates at UC Riverside and the city of Riverside overall dropped by about 30 percent due to the recommendations made by the Task Force. By 2040, crime was less than 60 percent of what it was before and by 2070, there were very few, if any, cases of crimes. After many successes with the use of flashlights, UCR’s motto will be changed to “Let there be maglites,” in 2113.
Riverside Mayor Gamma Ray also attended the ceremony and stated that he plans to enact future policies for all police officers in Riverside County to wear bright yellow police uniforms. More city funds will be put towards improving maglite technology rather than buying ineffective weapons like guns. “Many other schools have tried to implement police robots, security cyborgs, etc. But no change could compare to our foolproof system. I will be working with the UC system to implement yellow shirts and maglites at every UC,” claimed Mayor Ray.
A speech was also made by Zena Beta, a representative of the Riverside chapter of the Inter-Galactic Safety Squad. He awarded UCR for its success in campus safety with a trophy in the shape of a maglite. UCR was draped in yellow as far the eye can see and when the speeches ended, the students all partook in the legendary maglite fist pump. “The ceremony was nebular. It was so heartfelt and I couldn’t be prouder of the recommendations made in 2013 and the huge impact that they have had,” said Beta.
Due to the sharp drop in crime, UCPD deemed police patrols no longer necessary and even residence halls are no longer overseen by residential advisors. Students can walk out of apartments and residence halls without the fear of being robbed.
In a student poll taken in year 2013, 80% of students said they would not leave class without taking at least one escort. Now in 2113, that percentage has gone down to 15%. “As long as student escorts are patrolling around the school with their yellow shirts, I know I’m safe. I only use an escort if there aren’t many yellow-shirted people around me late at night,” said first-year time theory major Snark Tobaum. Students now have 1,000 escorts regularly patrolling the campus that are readily available for them. Dispatcher phones are also on standby for any that need them.
