SIUC Student Safety Initiative

STEER CLEAR OF THE ARBOR DISTRICT! If you’re thinking of moving there, don’t!

There have been multiple shots fired there since NYE, and once again city and school officials refuse to do anything about it.

If you have any information, or would like to be connected to neighborhood leaders or organizing efforts, please send us a message! We want to continue protesting and fighting for student safety.

Neighborhood leaders disappointed as Carbondale city officials decline invitation to meeting on gun violence Wednesday night, shots were fired in the Arbor District Neighborhood in Carbondale. Local leaders say gun violence continues to be a constant in the city.

Thank you, Daily Egyptian, for your excellent coverage of our protest on Wednesday. We will not stop until we are heard!

SIU students protest gun violence On December 1, 2021 Southern Illinois University Carbondale students and faculty marched from Faner to Anthony hall, where the chancellor and provost offices are located, to protest the ongoing gun violence in Carbondale. The protest was organized by the Student Safety Initiative. Students and facul...

We stood up to the chancellor and fought for our safety today. If our needs are not met in a timely fashion, this will be one of many protests.

SIU students protest schools response to gun violence Southern Illinois University Carbondale students assembled on campus Wednesday afternoon to protest the school's response to recent gun violence in the community.

The folks at Counter Power Radio Hour were kind enough to have us on to talk about gun violence at SIUC, defunding the police, and our protest tomorrow. If you missed the show, you can listen to us through this archive! Just click on the most recent episode of Counter Power Radio Hour :)

Archive – WDBX WDBX broadcasts under a non-commercial educational FM license held by Heterodyne Broadcasting Co., a 501(c)3 not for profit corporation.

We're on the radio RIGHT NOW talking about gun violence at SIUC. Please tune in if you can!

WDBX – 91.1 FM Carbondale The most direct way to help support WDBX is to make a one-time, or recurring donation to the station. All donations are tax deductible.

We demand that the SIUC administration:

1. Ensure the safety of students living off-campus.

This is not just an "off-campus issue." Students are still students, and they deserve to study and socialize safely. Lit pathways, 24 hour buses, and campus-wide safety alerts are all ways to begin solving this issue.

2. Reallocate funds towards counseling services.

Funds that are being spent on campus security that's already ineffective need to be reallocated to Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS). It can take 4-6 weeks to get an appointment at CAPS, and that's without a waitlist. Students are in desperate need of outlets to process their trauma, and many have been traumatized by the shootings that have taken place: students are severely injured or grieving the loss of a friend or terrified to return to their off-campus homes because of the surrounding gun violence. This is not what college should be.

3. Own its mistakes and follow through on its promises.

A "mental health day" and the hiring of a single counselor at CAPS aren't enough. The university needs to undergo systemic change if it plans on keeping its students. No one will want to attend SIUC if they learn that students aren't safe here. Faculty can't teach students who aren't around to be taught, and the university won't be able to sustain itself without tuition. This isn't just a matter of life and death for the students: it's a matter of life and death for the university as well.

Our demands are simple. The administration must listen.

Join us in protesting the administration's lack of response to the violence affecting SIUC students.

Wednesday 12/1 at 1:00pm outside the Student Center.