Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Philip Scheurer appointed a Task Force on Safety on August 24, 1988. The group, chaired by Dean of Students Jerry Askew, made its report in November 1988. It found the campus to be “relatively safe,” considering the openness of the campus and its physical accessibility. The report focused on violent crime rather than on thefts and vandalism. It found that the majority of victims were male, walking alone, between 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 a.m. The report concluded that the Fort Sanders area, including Lake and Terrace Avenues, was not safe and recommended immediate discussions with city officials to improve safety in Fort Sanders. The report also recommended preparation of a comprehensive publication aimed at teaching strategies for personal safety.
Vice Chancellor Scheurer responded to the report in February 1989, indicating that UT and city police had discussed a formalized agreement about handling matters on campus or involving UT students and that UT had increased patrols in the Lake/Terrace Avenue area, and more attention was being given to lighting in the Lake/Terrace Avenue area and Fort Sanders. Scheurer said he would appoint a Safety Concerns Committee that would be in charge of “conducting a fresh campus lighting survey, evaluating the effectiveness of the escort van service, and monitoring institutional effectiveness in communicating safety concerns to the university community.” He also reported that peepholes would be installed on all interior residence hall doors and that electronic viewing monitors would be installed in Humes, Strong, Massey, and Clement Halls. He also advised that the Registrar’s Office and the Division of Continuing Education would work to implement the “spirit” of the task force’s recommendation of consolidating evening classes into as few buildings as possible.