UT Austin leaders, students say they're concerned over west campus safety
AUSTIN (KXAN) — KXAN spoke with students after University of Texas at Austin leaders published a statement Friday, which says families, students, faculty, staff and visitors are “rightly frustrated” with safety concerns.
“When individuals threaten student safety with violent and criminal behavior, our law enforcement have been steadfast in making necessary arrests to remove these threats. But arrests are not enough,” said UT Austin Board of Regents Chairman Kevin Eltife in the statement.
What the students say
UT Austin students who live in West Campus walk through the blocks to get to campus. A recent series of assaults in the area has made some, such as UT Austin freshman Ina Weber, "nervous."
"I actually saw the suspected guy just out of my window. I just thought it was odd that he was walking around with a helmet on and like a suit," Weber said. "Makes me a bit nervous, but I am not too shocked about it. I think a lot of similar incidents happen on Guadalupe."
Other UT Austin students said that they share Weber's concerns.
"It's like scary that we walk these streets, but there's people like that [who] could do anything at any time," said Kapil Taspsa, another UT Austin student.
"I live on West Campus at the Castilian, and anytime I want to walk back from my classes, Jester, the library, I have to walk through [the Drag]," said Aahil Sukhyani, another UT Austin student. "It can be three, four a.m., and there's some dude tweaking out in front of Chipotle or something like that. I think it's gotten to the point where most people will say 'don't walk alone at night.'"
Data: Reported crime mostly the same year-over-year
There have been 31 assaults within a 2000-foot radius from the University Co-op since 2025 began, according to Austin Police Department crime data. Three of the 31 assaults were aggravated assaults, which means a weapon was used or serious bodily harm was caused.
Over the same time in 2024, 30 assaults occurred, three of which were aggravated assaults and one was deadly conduct. APD's data also shows that total crime, so far in 2025 (245 incidents), is roughly on par with the same range in 2024 (240 incidents).
Joell McNew, president of student safety advocacy nonprofit SafeHorns, said more needs to be done to make the area safer.
"We hear things on a daily basis," McNew said. "There are so many students that have come forward, and other citizens in the community—non-student, non-UT affiliated—that have come forward, who have been victimized."