A Safety and Security car outside of the Safety and Security offices
David Scibilia/The Bona Venture
BY: MORGAN KILGER AND ELIZABETH KAMROWSKI
NEWS ASSIGNMENT EDITOR, STAFF WRITER
Bonaventure has had three arrests of non-students for on-campus crimes since the start of the 2023 academic year, causing some students to raise concerns about the open nature of St. Bonaventure University’s campus.
Administration holds that this is an anomaly and that the advanced security measures were able to bring these incidents to a successful conclusion.
“I understand a bit of anxiety because all three of these incidents happened within a few weeks of each other, but this is an anomaly,” said Tom Missel, Bonaventure’s chief communications officer. “I’ve been here 22 years, and we’ve gone entire semesters without a single incident like these involving the public. The most-recent survey of our student body said that 97% of our students felt that our campus was a safe environment.”
The most recent of these events happened at the Friedsam Memorial Library.
Around 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 6, Safety and Security officers were called to the library in response to a possibly intoxicated, disruptive man, said the Office of Safety and Security in a Notice Board announcement. Raymond Tylicki, 50, of Albany, New York, was asked to leave the scene several times, but refused. After Tylicki charged at a student in a booth on the library’s main floor while campus-safety officers escorted him out, State Police responded and arrested Tylicki.
Tylicki has committed several similar incidents, including one at Bonaventure in 2017, according to various news sources.
Some students raised concerns over the access community members have to the library.
“Many academic buildings have card access which is beneficial for the protection of students,” said Danielle Aiello, a senior inclusive and early childhood education major. “Why not do this at the library?”
However, due to Bonaventure’s library being classified as a Federal Depository Library, it must be open to the public, said Missel.
Three days prior to Tylicki’s arrest, State Police arrested Max C. Braun, 30, no permanent address, for two bike thefts and one attempted bike theft on campus.
The first bike was stolen on Sept. 17 in front of Francis Hall. Braun attempted to steal a second bike on Sept. 20, just after midnight. The same night, a third bike was stolen from Townhouse 32 after it was left unlocked, said Segrue in a Notice Board announcement. Braun was banned from Bonaventure’s campus.
“Compared to my freshman year, nothing like what’s happened in the past weeks had ever happened before here,” said Bridgette St. Mauro, a senior psychology major.
Aiello said that she thinks the open nature of Bonaventure’s campus may be linked to the occurrence of this crime.
“I understand that there is a chance that everything you leave outside may be stolen or broken into, but the main issue is that someone can enter our campus without restriction and do this,” said Aiello.
The first of the three incidents occurred on Oct. 31 at around 1:20 p.m. An unidentified female student, 19, was grabbed from behind by Jacob J. Tarr, 30, while she was walking into Francis Hall near the Dennis R. Deperro School of Health Professions sign, said Segrue. After fighting off Tarr, she ran up the ramp and onto the second floor, where she reported the assault to an unidentified staff member.
Two days later, State Police arrested Tarr and charged him with forcible touching and endangering the welfare of a child. Tarr was arraigned at Allegany Town Court. There is an order of protection issued against Tarr, barring him from university grounds.
Many students — especially female students — raised concerns about their safety on campus after these crimes happened.
“I never want to walk alone anymore,” said Mckenzie Marsh, a freshman criminology major. “It’s scary feeling unsafe somewhere you thought you would be safe and where you would feel comfortable.”
kilgermi22@bonaventure.edu
kamrowes23@bonaventure.edu
