Women Should Feel Safe Wherever They Go

Alba Rosa/Contributing Writer

Even though I started my in-person classes around August after months online, I haven’t been able to fully enjoy my time on campus. The possibility of me being followed or harassed scares me.

I take Miami’s public bus whenever I go to MMC. It’s a small bus, the majority of passengers being middle-aged with only a few of them being college students. Sometimes, I’m the only student there. 

One day, a woman started talking to me as we waited for our bus. When I casually told her I’m a college student, she warned me about something I’ve heard since I was 10-years-old.

“Please cover up,” she said, referring to my outfit. I wore a cropped Red Sox sweater and shorts that ended above my knee. “It’s dangerous out here. You don’t wanna get snatched up, do you?”

I looked down at my outfit and felt a pang of guilt. 

Of course, I don’t. I just wanted to dress according to the hot Miami weather. 

She also mentioned Miya Marcano, who was, as she declared it, just like me: young, beautiful and an easy target.

 I had to admit, immediately after having that conversation, I had bought a safety alarm and a taser off of Amazon so they could be delivered as quickly as possible. 

I completely gave into this fear. 

Since getting the taser and the safety alarm, I take them with me everywhere I go. They became my college essentials. Why, oh why, do these two objects need to be essentials for every young woman?

Marcano’s death caused a new wave of anxiety around Florida colleges and universities. I felt somewhat safe when the public bus arrived at MMC. But that changed. How can I feel safe knowing that it’s still possible for me to be assaulted on our very own campuses? 

For example, how soccer player Jahshaun Anglin is accused of sexually assaulting a fellow student in a classroom on MMC. He was arrested several hours after the incident and remained silent throughout questioning. He even pleaded not guilty to sexual battery.

And what of the controversial petitioners on campus that allegedly harass students? Not only have they followed students to their class, but the petitioners also corner them for signatures and use vulgar language. 

Women live a brutal reality, where we must follow a specific set of rules to survive: never walk alone, always share your location, cover up your drink, take a safety alarm with you and take a self-defense class. Even bark if it steers creepy people away from you. 

It’s all become so overwhelming. 

Hope and prayers for safety won’t get anybody anywhere. We should be protected, as students and as women.

For once, we want to be able to walk without the fear of being catcalled, groped or bothered. I want to ride the bus without some weird old man staring me down. I want to travel to places on a whim with my significant other and not worry about my partner killing me. 

I want to wear clothes that are suited for the weather we’re in. 

I want to be safe. Scratch that— I should feel safe wherever I go.

DISCLAIMER:

The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community