“There was just an attempted armed robbery two days ago, right on campus.”

Anna Oleniczak: Q: Do you feel safe on campus?

Irene Jerving: A: “Yes, generally.”

Q: What do you think of gun violence surrounding campus?

A: “I think there’s an issue with it. There was just an attempted armed robbery two days ago, right on campus. I think it’s a bigger issue than just on campus, but Milwaukee isn’t great either.”

Q: Do you think UWM provides proper safety protections?

A: “I think so, I never feel scared on campus. There are the emergency phone boxes that will call 911.”

Q: Do you know anyone who has had to use those?

A: “No, I don’t.”

Q: What issues are you most passionate about?

A: “I’m passionate about gun violence in general. I don’t see a huge problem at UWM but it affects schools everywhere. There’s a larger issue with sexual assaults on campus, there is with any university, but I’ve seen it at UWM firsthand. It affects a lot of people.”

Q: You’ve seen it firsthand?

A: “Some of my friends have dealt with it on campus and the surrounding areas.”

Q: If you had the final say, what would you propose as a solution?

A: “I would say there needs to be more communication with the victims of sexual assault, so people are able to feel comfortable bringing it up as an issue. A lot of the reasons it’s not brought up or dealt with is that people don’t feel comfortable talking about it. I think that could be addressed with educational programs and better support.”

Q: So those are issues you’re most passionate about, what issues are lower on your list that you’re not as passionate about?

A: “People trying to ban abortion rights I really care about. It’s bad, and I don’t want to see it happen. But we need them to focus on issues that are a bigger deal

Q: Is there a bigger devil there to conquer?

A: “People trying to ban abortion can be boiled down to misogyny in general. It’s really prevalent with the election coming up.”

Q: Do you worry about these issues a lot?

A: “Yeah, With Roe v. Wade getting overturned, it’s a signal that there are bigger issues coming for woman.”

Q: Based off what we were just talking about, do you think UWM is too expensive?

A: “Yeah, I think it’s too expensive in general in America. Most people can’t afford it, even with getting loans, those loans take about your life. Milwaukee is super cheap compared to other places, but it’s still super expensive, not very affordable for most people. It’s hard for people to pay off, my parents have been paying theirs off ever since {they graduated} and they’re still not done. I feel like it’s stressful for kids growing up watching their parents go through college loans. I don’t feel like it’s as bad for me, I was able to get scholarships and loans, but I’ll still be in debt afterwards which is scary. I feel rushed to find a job before I even know what to do.”