COLUMBUS – Tuesday was the first day of fall semester classes for students at Ohio State’s main campus and officials are concentrating on safety, an issue emphasized by the shooting of a Buckeye wrestler a few days earlier.
Sammy Sasso was recovering at OSU Wexner Medical Center from non-life-threatening injuries suffered when he was shot in an apparent carjacking a few blocks from campus.
The university’s top safety official said more than 270 employees of five divisions a prepared to respond to the safety concerns of students and staff.
“Nothing significant has changed from our staffing this time last year,” Director of Public Safety Monica Moll said in a university podcast. “There are 200-300 employees and our sole focus is watching out for the safety of our campus community members.”
Moll reminded students not to walk alone or hold the doors of residence halls dorms open for strangers, which would allow non-residents to “tailgate” into a dorm where they might commit a crime.
She encouraged students to take advantage of discounted Lyft rides or the university’s Cabs on Demand service.
The OSU police department’s Community Crime map lets students and parents see the locations of off-campus crime reports.