Students and Tiger Xpress staff saw officers from the Grambling State University Police Department scuffle with and handcuff an outraged man who attempted to fight a student Monday.
The incident left students wondering about campus safety. Many believe GSU’s open campus provides non-students an opportunity to create chaos on campus.
The man in question is not a student, according to sources close to him.
The fight, which witnesses said became bloody, parallels a violent start to this semester.
Eight violent crimes were reported from August 21 through September 8 in the campus crime report.
The incidents included male on male fighting, female on female fighting and male/female altercations.
One of the incidents involved a Southern University student. A warrant was issued for the student’s arrest.
Monday’s incident was not yet documented, although a GSUPD representative said that Police Chief Craig Nance was updating the crime report.
The police department might be swamped.
Grambling police are doing everything humanly possible to address the issue of campus crime, said an insider, who revealed that GSUPD is understaffed, underpaid and not informed of decisions made by their superiors.
Students are concerned, but not convinced that GSU is now an unsafe educational facility.
“Grambling is not as safe as it has the power to be,” said Shanee Kearns, an English education senior from West Haven, Connecticut.
Kearns said that students to find hobbies other than hanging out, and added that police need to improve their job effectiveness.
“They always seem to be at the wrong place when something takes place,” Kearns said.
Others expressed different concerns.
“I feel safe on campus majority of the time. The only time I would say I feel vulnerable would be at night,” said Alysha Jones, a mass communication sophomore from Inglewood, Calif.
An alumna and security guard said that campus is currently safer than it has been in the past.
She discussed the government’s role in maintaining order.
“Be mindful that the budget cuts deeply affected the campus police,” said Savannah Dwairi.
Attempts to contact GSUPD were unsuccessful before press time.