UALR Student's Death Raising Safety Awareness on Campus One Year Later
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: October 16, 2012
"If she could see what happened afterwards, she would be really impressed with how we've responded," said UALR student Holly Ajanel.
Ajanel has been forced to walk to class without her friend and fellow classmate Patricia Guardado over the past year.
"Her death, it was a real shock for our community," she said. "Actually, the class she was on the way to that day, we were talking about violence in the Latin America community. So, to have it put in real-life context for you was really difficult.
Patricia Guardado disappeared on October 12, 2011, last seen in a parking lot across campus. She was on the way to a morning class, but never arrived. Her body was discovered in a rural pond four days later.
Her death prompted students to scrutinize university security and safety back then. And that has led to changes on campus now.
"We've been very proactive about that," said UALR Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Bob Adams.
The college has installed additional lighting and expanded the video surveillance system.
"Hopefully surveillance isn't there to catch someone, it's there to deter other acts of violence," Adams said.
The Trojan Trolley was up and running immediately in the semester following Patricia's death.
"It was something students put a lot of emphasis on during open forums during that time," Adams said. "Now, we pretty well cover the entire campus, so students can park and get a ride from the perimeter parking lots and all around campus."
Warnings have been installed in the parking lot Patricia disappeared from, and students have taken notice of the safety aspect.
"They put up signs saying it's not monitored," said UALR junior Chris Luckey. "You know that if you park there, it's at your own risk."
The university encouraging students to park in lots patrolled by campus police.
"With the trolley a student can park in a safer area without crossing University," Adams said. "That's a very busy thoroughfare, and we have plenty of parking on campus. Particularly with the trolley now. Students can park on the north side of campus and catch a ride into the inner-section."
But perhaps the biggest change on campus, is students' own safety awareness.
"People are definitely paying more attention to it," Luckey said. "Girls, you'll notice they try to get off campus early. If they're leaving after dark they make sure someone walks with them to their car."
"Not to walk alone, walk with a friend or a buddy or whatever," said UALR senior Markeita Simmons. "Some students, now, are realizing safety is important."
"In our classes, girls are talking about how we walk around campus. You see people looking at people on campus differently, they're more aware," Ajanel said.
UALR, also becoming the first college in Arkansas to implement the "Green Dot" program, a bystander training program to teach staff, students, and everyone in the campus community how to detect and react to violence.
"Placing a little bit of responsibility on the bystander," Ajanel said. "Sometimes, as bystanders, we think 'It isn't me. It's not my place to do anything'. But this program will teach us how to be a witness and how to respond appropriately."
Which could have proved to be life-saving for Patricia, considering she was abducted in the mid-day on a busy city street.
"The smallest thing could have been some sort of indicate that something was wrong. If someone knew to respond to that -- there's no harm in it being reported," Ajanel said. " It could potentially save a life."
A memorial to Patricia is on display in the Donaghey Student Center, but friends like Ajanel have begun to see the impact of both her life and death all across campus.
"Her death, it's something horrible. But positive things can come out of it, and they are," Ajanel said.
Ajanel has been forced to walk to class without her friend and fellow classmate Patricia Guardado over the past year.
"Her death, it was a real shock for our community," she said. "Actually, the class she was on the way to that day, we were talking about violence in the Latin America community. So, to have it put in real-life context for you was really difficult.
Patricia Guardado disappeared on October 12, 2011, last seen in a parking lot across campus. She was on the way to a morning class, but never arrived. Her body was discovered in a rural pond four days later.
Her death prompted students to scrutinize university security and safety back then. And that has led to changes on campus now.
"We've been very proactive about that," said UALR Vice Chancellor of Finance and Administration Bob Adams.
The college has installed additional lighting and expanded the video surveillance system.
"Hopefully surveillance isn't there to catch someone, it's there to deter other acts of violence," Adams said.
The Trojan Trolley was up and running immediately in the semester following Patricia's death.
"It was something students put a lot of emphasis on during open forums during that time," Adams said. "Now, we pretty well cover the entire campus, so students can park and get a ride from the perimeter parking lots and all around campus."
Warnings have been installed in the parking lot Patricia disappeared from, and students have taken notice of the safety aspect.
"They put up signs saying it's not monitored," said UALR junior Chris Luckey. "You know that if you park there, it's at your own risk."
The university encouraging students to park in lots patrolled by campus police.
"With the trolley a student can park in a safer area without crossing University," Adams said. "That's a very busy thoroughfare, and we have plenty of parking on campus. Particularly with the trolley now. Students can park on the north side of campus and catch a ride into the inner-section."
But perhaps the biggest change on campus, is students' own safety awareness.
"People are definitely paying more attention to it," Luckey said. "Girls, you'll notice they try to get off campus early. If they're leaving after dark they make sure someone walks with them to their car."
"Not to walk alone, walk with a friend or a buddy or whatever," said UALR senior Markeita Simmons. "Some students, now, are realizing safety is important."
"In our classes, girls are talking about how we walk around campus. You see people looking at people on campus differently, they're more aware," Ajanel said.
UALR, also becoming the first college in Arkansas to implement the "Green Dot" program, a bystander training program to teach staff, students, and everyone in the campus community how to detect and react to violence.
"Placing a little bit of responsibility on the bystander," Ajanel said. "Sometimes, as bystanders, we think 'It isn't me. It's not my place to do anything'. But this program will teach us how to be a witness and how to respond appropriately."
Which could have proved to be life-saving for Patricia, considering she was abducted in the mid-day on a busy city street.
"The smallest thing could have been some sort of indicate that something was wrong. If someone knew to respond to that -- there's no harm in it being reported," Ajanel said. " It could potentially save a life."
A memorial to Patricia is on display in the Donaghey Student Center, but friends like Ajanel have begun to see the impact of both her life and death all across campus.
"Her death, it's something horrible. But positive things can come out of it, and they are," Ajanel said.
