TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida is taking steps to address off-campus housing safety after two students were killed in April. Some of these new steps include a new resource website, safety standards for housing providers, and a direct email contact to improve communication.
In a statement, USF President Moez Limayem said the outreach is an important first step.
“We have contacted nearly 50 off-campus housing providers to invite them to adopt best practices to support the safety and security of USF students,” Limayem said in the statement.
“This outreach is a critical first step because while the university cannot control conditions in properties that are not owned or operated by USF, we can encourage property owners to work with us,” the statement added.
This all came about after Zamil Limon and Nahida Bristy were killed. Officials accused Limon’s roommate, Hisham Abugharbieh, of allegedly killing the two.
Some students said the deaths changed how they think about living off campus.
Ivy Hinkle said the tragedy led her and her boyfriend to reconsider moving into an off-campus apartment together.
“Being on campus more, and especially with what happened, I feel like there’s more of a thought in the head of, maybe it’s not quite as safe as I thought,” Hinkle said.
USF student Abraham Albadawi said he is glad the university is taking action. Albadawi started a petition earlier this year in response to the killing of the two students.
“I’m very happy that USF now seems to be taking safety more seriously,” Albadawi said.
But Albadawi said he still has questions about how the standards will be enforced.
“Who’s going to enforce the set rules? Is it going to be self-reported by the landlords, or is it going to be reported by USF, USF PD? So it’s not entirely clear,” he said.
USF declined a request for an interview about the changes and provided a statement.
You can find USF’s full statement here.