Saturday, October 22, 2016
By Joe Gorman
and Denise Dick
YOUNGSTOWN
Youngstown State University officials urge the campus community to be aware of their surroundings after two men, one of them armed, got inside a fraternity house early Friday in the 800 block of Pennsylvania Avenue and took four cellphones and a wallet.
City police reports said a man and woman were sitting on the porch when two men wearing hooded sweatshirts pulled up in a car, got out and approached the porch.
One of the men pulled a revolver and demanded money, reports said.
One of the victims who was on the porch ran inside and told three others they were being robbed and to call the police. As he ran upstairs, the robbers came inside and demanded everyone’s phones or money. The robbers collected the phones and wallet and drove away, reports said.
Shannon Tirone, YSU’s associate vice president for university relations, urges students to be aware of what’s going on around them.
After the alert message, informing the campus community of the crime, a second message went out telling students to heighten their awareness.
Be cautious of your surroundings and look out for each other, Tirone said. Students and others on campus can improve safety by “being aware of your surroundings and looking assertive” and walking with someone you trust, she said.
Using the campus’s free escort service is another way to bolster safety, Tirone said.
The escort service has an office inside Kilcawley Center on campus.
A student who has a class that doesn’t let out until after dark and whose car is parked on the other side of campus, for example, can call the service ahead of time to arrange an escort, Tirone said.
“We also have the shuttle service,” she said. “If you’re a young student and you’re out, don’t walk back to campus. If you’re not driving, use the shuttle service. That’s for convenience, but it’s also for safety.”
City police are leading the investigation, and reports said the city and YSU police will be studying video footage from around the area.