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University Of Akron Focuses On Making Downtown Safer

University of Akron and city officials have laid out plans to make Exchange Street safer after several incidents along the corridor this semester.

Some of the improvements proposed are increased street lights in the area and better communication between the city and landlords about property maintenance.

The university’s Interim President John Green says that going to school in a major metropolitan area provides many opportunities to explore cultural events and internships, but does sometimes come with an increased safety concern for parents.

“We have a very, very safe campus. But of course, part of the attraction of being at an urban campus is to go off campus, right? Speaking as a former young person, I still remember those days. That involves a lot of opportunities, some more risky than others. So the neighborhoods right around the campus turn out to be very, very important.”

The officials also announced a new app called Cleanup/Fixup (see video demonstration below) that allows students and residents to report issues such as tall grass and weeds, trash or broken street and traffic lights. 

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The University of Akron's chapter of the AAUP -- the union representing about 600 full-time faculty members -- makes up about a tenth of AAUP membership in Ohio.
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UNIVERSITY OF AKRON
John Green wants to make the city of Akron safer for UA students to explore.

Anna joined ideastream in 2019, where she reports on health news for WCPN and WVIZ in Cleveland. She has also served as an associate producer for NewsDepth. Before that, Anna was a 2019 Carnegie-Knight News21 fellow at Arizona State University's Walter Cronkite School of Journalism.
Emma Keating is a junior journalism major with a minor in political science. Between working for the Kent Stater, TV2 and Cleveland Magazine, she has experience in newspaper, magazine, multimedia and broadcast journalism, though writing will always be her one true love. Keating hopes to use her journalism to give a voice to the voiceless in her future career, eventually moving to Washington, D.C.