Man Murdered On Yeshiva Campus

Student Fears Rise as University Remains Silent

Shortly after midnight, on January 16, Diego Rivera, 23, of W. 140th St., was found dead inside a car on Laurel Hill Terrace. Police discovered the body with a gun shot wound to the head in the backseat of a 1990 Nissan in the area adjacent to the Yeshiva University Uptown Campus.

Long since the end of Washington Heights' days of being "New York City's war zone," this murder awakens specters of days past that have not entirely gone away. In the eighties and early nineties, Washington Heights was best known for drugs, crime and murder. A string of drive-by shootings and other outside threats led to the erection of blockades in front of Yeshiva's buildings and an increased security presence on campus. With the nation's surging economy and the plummeting crime rate, Washington Heights has changed dramatically.

This murder raises concerns that have been brought to the attention of the student life committee many times and that have been discussed on the pages of this paper for years. Additional security, better lighting and the incorporation of the Laurel Hill Terrace into Yeshiva's uptown campus have been the demands of students for the latter part of the past decade.

Coincidently, the Facilities department issued a letter after the fire at Seton Hall addressing student concerns and informing them of their continued safety. However this incident was not made known to students. "How come we did not hear about this, is our safety important?" Begged Avi Soroka a Yeshiva College Freshman. Echoing these thoughts, Brian Kinzbrunner a YC junior expressed disbelief at "the University's silence on the matter."

Dov Karoll, a RIETS student and a resident of RIETS housing, said, "As a resident of 36 Laurel Hill Terrace I am deeply concerned about my own safety and I hope that YU is too. Opening up the entrance behind Belfer and Rubin Halls would help alleviate this concern."

"Laurel Hill Terrace is not lit up well enough and students going back to their IHP and RIETS apartments after night seder should feel protected," urged Simcha Fuld, a Sy Syms Senior. Fuld emphasized that IHP apartments are equal to the dorms, yet for some reason the administration does not treat them as such. Elaborating on Simcha's concerns, many students questioned the lack of security in IHP and RIETS apartments. "Simply because they are living in YU's alternative to dorms should not mean that their lives are any less protected," said a library employee.

A few years ago a petition to place a guard booth on Laurel Hill Terrace for student protection was proposed and accepted. Indeed an additional booth was placed on the rear side of Belfer Hall. However, students now contend that the placement of this booth may have been more an action of University convenience than of student safety. The booth was built adjacent to the Belfer loading dock that accepts all incoming deliveries for the University. Highlighting the argument that it was not erected for student safety is the fact that it was placed directly across from an existing New York City Police Department booth.

Another complaint discussed at student life meetings is that the provisions made five years ago are no longer adequate at present. With the addition of IHP and an increasing number of people living in RIETS housing it would be logical to assume that security in those areas would increase as well. "The university will never preempt a problem. After long enough they will put a Band-Aid over the wound, but they will never get out of the way of the bullet, they're just too stubborn to duck," explained one security official.

Another issue that this vicious murder raises is the University's current policy of locking off a passageway behind Belfer and Rubin Halls that would connect Laurel Hill Terrace with Amsterdam Avenue. The gate on Laurel Hill Terrace closes off residence of the street from the University's campus. Before the erection of the Max Stern Athletic Center and the Gottesman Pool, the University Campus extended through a grassy area past Laurel Hill Terrace. Students were able to engage in activity in the park beyond Laurel Hill Terrace that has fallen to a state of disrepair in years since the university closed off the area. Presumably, the basketball court behind the Strenger Residence Hall would be used if the gateway were opened as well.

When Yeshiva threw RIETS students out of the dorms five years ago the apartments on Laurel Hill Terrace became their new location. Soon after the move students petitioned to have the gateway opened so they would not have to trek around Laurel Hill Terrace, at times a dark and unsafe street at night.

For years, students have been baffled by the administrations stance on the gateway and the incorporation of more security staff. With the increase of IHP students on campus, the demand for these necessities has increased. Members of the Facilities Management refused to comment on this issue. Security officials however informed The Commentator that the murder was most likely drug related and that at no time were student lives in danger. "Security should be tighter than that, it could have been anybody," exclaimed Effi Billauer a Sy Syms senior.

Many feel Yeshiva has repeatedly ignored student suggestions and complaints for them to heighten security and raise the quality of life for students who live in the quasi-dorm areas of the campus. "I would not like to think that Jeff (Socol) is ignoring student concerns, I mean safety and quality of life are serious issues. Either people are mistaking students for donors and are lying to them, or perhaps everyone is just too busy to remember student concerns," scornfully remarked one embittered professor.