Rhodes Community,
This latest news about one of our students being the victim of an attempted robbery off campus is very disturbing, and we are profoundly grateful the student was not seriously injured. Community and campus safety remains at the very forefront of our minds as we continue to strive to ensure that every student, staff, and faculty member feels safe when they are on or near our campus.
As your president, I commit to continue working in collaboration with city leaders and the other college and university leaders in our community who are grappling with these same challenges. I have met with Mayor Strickland, Mayor Harris, and MPD Chief Davis recently and am grateful for their willingness to listen and help address our concerns. As an integral part of this vibrant and extraordinary American city, Rhodes must continue to work in partnership to help address the intertwined challenges of crime and poverty that are confronting so many communities across our nation.
I implore each of us to look out for one another and report anything that seems amiss. If you become the victim of a crime off campus, please call 911 immediately to report it. This may stop others from being victimized as well. If you are on campus, you should notify Campus Safety by calling the emergency number at 901-843-3333.
Rhodes campus safety officers are available to provide safety escorts both on campus and to and from off-campus locations if it is within one mile. These escorts can be requested 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This service can be requested by calling 901-843-3880. Of course no individual is responsible for becoming a victim of crime, but please take full advantage of all the resources we provide to ensure your safety.
For students, personal counseling and other support services are available through Student Counseling Services by phone (901) 843-3128 or by email at counseling@rhodes.edu. Any Rhodes student who requires urgent or emergency counseling services outside of regular office hours can contact after-hours mental health support at (901) 843-3128 or (855) 861-9253. For employees, the Human Resources Office can assist with connecting to resources by phone at (901) 843-3750 or by email at hr@rhodes.edu.
Our Campus Safety Task Force has been meeting over the last few weeks with an aggressive timeline for submitting recommendations. This process will provide more opportunities for additional community input.
We all care very deeply about campus safety and I want to assure you we are working very hard to keep our community safe. I will be sharing more information with you in the coming weeks.
Jennifer Collins
President
Rhodes College