Night class attendance at San Jose State University is unusual among female students because of security concerns.
Overall enrollment for the sciences are very low among women. SJSU has 13 engineering disciplines offered, of which only three have a proportionate gender representation in class.
Though female representation is rare in this college, women taking night classes are far more disproportionate.
Civil engineering senior Crystal Perez said she feels unsafe every time she attends her night classes.
“As women in engineering we don’t have much of a choice because some sections are only offered after 6 p.m., because our professor comes to lecture after work,” Perez said.
Sheryl Ehrman, dean of the engineering department, said their department considers scheduling including availability of instructors, classrooms and labs for their undergraduate and graduate classes in the evening. However, she says security is a concern for all of their students in evening classes.
“While the original ‘Evening Guide’ program was specifically intended for female students to be escorted around campus, male students also take advantage of it to ensure their safety,” University Police Department Lt. Michael Santos said.
According to the UPD’s Records Unit, for the period of Aug. 1, 2017 to Aug. 1, 2018, there were 1,583 requests for escorts from females and 113 requests from males.
Women were 14 times more likely than men to request safety services.
Though various robberies, kidnaps, shooting and bomb threats have happened in the SJSU campus, the UPD ensures the safety of each student.
Santos said their responsibility UPD’s the safety of the campus community, property and the surrounding community at all times.
The Campus Safety Plan states, “As a ‘city within a city,’ the university is committed to safeguarding members of the campus community as well as the large and growing number of visitors who come to the campus year-round.”
The Safety Escort and Safe Ride programs offered by UPD allow students to safely get from class to class or from school to home.
Civil engineering senior Juan Bermudez takes a night class because it is the only section offered. He said it would be better if it was earlier.
“In my class there’s only one girl. I think women take classes during the day because it’s bright and so it’s assumed to be safer,” Bermudez said.
Though night classes tend to help students achieve their degrees faster and more conveniently, it is concerning to students.
Ehrman believes students attending classes together can also help increase safety when walking alone.
Perez said she has taken multiple night classes before. She has no choice and has learned to stay aware and safe.
“I take these classes because they are the only sections offered for these engineering courses,” she said. “I usually have a friend walk with me,” she added.
Students attending night classes learn to stay aware of their surroundings, especially women.
