Thurs. update: Approximately 9 p.m. Wednesday, another UCD student was assaulted and robbed at a Circle K off-campus location. To view the email, click here.

(To view an interactive map of the various assaults Feb. 16 — March 10, click here.)

After three reported assaults and robberies in and around Auraria in less than a week, authorities and campus leaders organized an impromptu public meeting to focus on safety.

Metro President Stephen Jordan proposed the town hall to address the recent incidents, according to Auraria Police Chief John Mackey.

Jordan sent an e-mail to college administrators March 9 discussing the planned town hall.

“I want all of you to know that Metro State places the highest priority on the safety of our campus community. In addition to the safety measures we included in the campus-wide timely warnings, I have asked Student Government Assembly President Andrew Bateman to work with the Auraria Campus Police in putting together a town hall meeting on campus safety,” Jordan wrote in the email.

Representatives from UCD and CCD will work with Auraria Police to provide students with information about campus safety.

The town hall was organized in a day, following the reports filed on the 8th.

The three incidents were reported to students via crime alerts on the MetroConnect homepage. Mackey said there is no connection between the three incidents.

The evening of March 4 a Metro student was assaulted and robbed after exiting a parked car in the lot behind Campus Village. The incident was reported later that evening.

The morning of March 8 two students were stabbed at The Inn at Auraria. Both students were transported to Denver Health Medical Center for treatment. An update on their condition has not been made available.

Two suspects involved in the incident were arrested by an Auraria Police officer at the intersection of Speer Boulevard and Champa Street. They were taken to Denver County jail.

The same afternoon another incident was reported by a female student at the intersection of 7th and Lawrence Streets. The student was knocked unconscious, according to Mackey. The Auraria Police are investigating the case.

Mackey said because of the urban environment of the campus, from time to time there will unfortunately be a spike in incidents such as these on the campus.

He said it is key for students to report incidents as soon as they happen.

“If a person calls 911 from their personal cell phone, the call is not going to Auraria Police. The call is going to Denver Police Department. There will be a delay in getting that information from them to us,” Mackey said.

He suggested all Aurarians program the campus police number into their cell phones, and use it to report any incident on campus immediately.

Mackey said the campus phones are routed directly to Auraria Police Department, including the blue emergency phones placed throughout campus.

Metro Student Government Assembly Vice President C.J. Garbo will be present at the town hall. Garbo has a background in law enforcement, and has been working with the SGA to promote campus safety.

One initiative the SGA has taken to improve campus safety was to work with the Auraria Higher Education Center to install the blue street signs, marking the intersections on campus.

“It is genuinely important to me that I hear student concerns about the incidents on campus. I am volunteering my time to be present and I hope my fellow students who are concerned will join us tomorrow,” Garbo said.

Mackey and Deputy Chief Robert Forrest said it is important for students to be aware of their surroundings.

They said students should park in well-lit areas in the evening and try to walk in pairs whenever possible.

Forrest suggested students utilize the Auraria Parking and Transportation Services Night Rider, a free service, to get around campus at night.

The town hall will provide students with additional safety tips, counseling and updates on the victims of the assaults.