TAMPA, Fla. — Students are demanding that more be done when it comes to off campus housing and student safety. This, after the murders of Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy allegedly at the hands of Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh.
As more information continues to surface in this case, students are looking for ways to prevent something like this from happening again and they’re starting with a petition.
Abraham Albadawi says after three years as a student at USF, he knows what college life is supposed to be like but in the last two weeks that all changed.
“I associate this place with free exchange of ideas. I don’t associate it with something this horrible happening,” he said.
After learning more about the details of the deaths of USF international students, Limon and Bristy he was shocked and even more surprised Zamil’s roommate, Abugharbieh, is charged with murdering both students inside of their Avalon Heights apartment.
“It really struck a nerve that something evil just happened.
Albadawi said he knew he had to do something-especially after learning the suspect and roommate in this case wasn’t a student living in student housing.
So, he started this petition. “We can’t let more tragedies occur. Once something occurs you need to set regulations and reforms, you can’t just let it go by until the next tragedy,” he said.
Albadawi’s petition calls on the school to do more when it comes to policing off campus housing and it calls on those off-campus apartments to do a better job navigating emergency situations and roommate issues.
“Releasing an emergency plan for roommates and house mates, whether it’s a credible threat, they have a quick way to handle the situation to possibly separate them or to work a solution for safety,” he said.
Zamil’s brother spoke from Bangladesh this week to demand justice and talk about how his brother reported about having problems with Abugharbieh. He was killed 15 days later.
Avalon heights apartment officials released this statement expressing sympathy for the tragedy, their cooperation with authorities but they say they couldn’t provide further information because of the ongoing investigation. But they say they say they do conduct background checks.
University officials released this statement saying in part, we fully support efforts to examine all factors involved, including housing conditions and safety measures that are in place.
We are also reviewing how off-campus housing resources are presented to our students to provide clarity and transparency, and to identify any opportunities to strengthen communication around safety considerations.
Students like Abraham and others who signed his petition say they will be holding school officials to that.
“If something advertises itself and holds itself as student housing and the university itself says it’s student housing, then how is there someone who isn’t a student living there,” Albadawi asked