With more than 13,000 students attending Tulane — and 3,600 living on the uptown campus — Mike Hogg has lots of issues vying for his attention as vice president of student affairs. Among his top priorities: making sure Tulane offers a safe and secure environment for students.

A number of new and expanded programs have been put into place this semester, Hogg says, much of it due to listening to students, including a Student Safety Committee that Hogg runs. Improvements to the university’s Safe Ride shuttles came about thanks to students’ recommendations.

Talks between university officials and city leaders have led to much-needed repairs of streetlights in neighborhoods around campus. Recently city crews repaired streetlights on Broadway, Maple and Willow streets. More repairs are needed, but the city has committed to complete the work, Hogg says.

For students living on the uptown campus, student affairs is offering “about three times as many programs as we usually run,” he says. For example, Tulane After Dark programs give them alternatives to seeking evening entertainment off campus.

Hogg’s staff in student affairs also has increased communication efforts with students about how to stay safe and get help in an emergency. For example, information cards in the Lavin-Bernick Center and Bruff Dining Hall have Quick Response (QR) codes that students can scan with a mobile phone and receive emergency numbers for quick reference.

In addition, Hogg is working closely with Jon Barnwell, the new superintendent of police who joined Tulane in January. “He [Barnwell] has great ideas and has already taken care of safety concerns that students and our neighbors have brought up,” Hogg says.

Barnwell has increased both the number of off-campus patrols and the patrol area, adding bike and foot patrols and hiring an additional six New Orleans Police Department officers to help Tulane police with that effort. Officers wear reflective vests for a more visible presence.

“We can always improve, but a number of departments have worked together to try to improve safety on campus,” Hogg says. “We’re clearly moving in the right direction.”