COMMENTARY: Rebel strong
‘I hid in a storage room,” a friend texted. “It was so scary.”
“They shot up rooms not (too) far from us,” said one of my fraternity brothers.
“They need to stop letting random people hang out on campus … UNLV has never made me feel safe,” another friend said.
Freedom of Speech Walkway was bustling with excitement, with students and faculty alike looking forward to the Christmas break. But after Wednesday’s shooting, some members of our campus community will not be able to hug their families again. More students are reconsidering if they should return to UNLV in 2024.
Seeing my campus become a crime scene is sobering. Many school buildings were closed following the shooting for blood cleanup and crime scene investigations. Thoughts and prayers are necessary before we have policy reform discussions, but they do not make our campus safer. As we enter next semester, UNLV needs a mature discussion between the university administration and the student body to produce solutions, addressing everything from petty crimes to active assailants.
The shooting at UNLV, which left three faculty members dead, is part of a pattern of violence that has plagued my generation. In 2018, then-Clark County Commission Chair Steve Sisolak and I sat down to discuss school gun safety. Mr. Sisolak told me creating a “task force” on school shootings was a “great idea.” Despite his party having two legislative sessions of unified government, no such task force was created during his time as governor. My adult life has carried the undertone of “enough is enough,” with very little security reform reflected in schools.
Investigating our campus’s vulnerabilities is critical, but we must also address the concerns that have been affecting students for years:
People unaffiliated with the university routinely visit the campus library, recreation center and Student Union, with near-no verification methods.
Homeless and loitering non-students force students to use police escorts or band together for safety.
Many areas on campus lack sufficient lighting at night, especially as students walk to their cars because there is inadequate parking for the thousands of Rebels who commute to campus.
This is about building trust and collaboration between students and University Police Services for a safer, more secure campus. UNLV’s public accessibility presents a complex security challenge, highlighted by several criminal incidents that demonstrate the need to reform campus security.
The UNLV police crime log shows more than 180 crimes reported in the past two months, with more than one-third still under investigation. Incidents such as the tragic 2022 murder of Metro police officer Truong Thai less than a mile from campus and frequent reports of property damage and personal assaults in nearby areas, including a car break-in that I reported, understandably create an atmosphere of concern. These events raise the question: Is UNLV safe?
Metro Sheriff Kevin McMahill and Gov. Joe Lombardo will undoubtedly be galvanizing local leaders to address our security vulnerabilities. In response to the tangible pain that thousands of Rebels are feeling, I started a coalition to bring together student leaders, any person who was affected by last week’s events and anyone else who has an idea to share to make our campus a safer place to learn, work and live. In the coming months, the #RebelStrong Committee will be working to host public listening sessions between the student body and the university administration, police services and the Nevada System of Higher Education.
As we mourn, I urge my classmates to speak up. Sign the closed-campus change.org petition, started by shooting survivor Lisandro Zamora. Join the #RebelStrong Committee by signing up at www.RebelStrong.org. Contact your university regent and voice your concerns. If your leaders don’t produce the change you seek, vote them out.
This tragedy will manifest itself in many ways over the coming months. But in the heart of UNLV’s campus remains that spirit of rebellion. It’s the energy of changing the course of a generation, preparing to build a new company or developing oneself for a profession. It’s a proud rejection of failed dreams and the condemnation from others. The Rebels I know are ready to confront the threats facing our community and our future.
I’m proud to be a Rebel, because only together will we be #RebelStrong and combat the evils that affect our present days.
Mateo Portelli is a student at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the founding organizer of the #RebelStrong Committee, a coalition of students and community members seeking to provide security reform proposals to policymakers.