There is no doubt that security is a priority at Washington University, especially after events such as last year’s sexual assault case and then the Virginia Tech tragedy. The question of campus security is once more rearing its head after the armed robbery that occurred in front of Park dorm last Friday evening.

With such high profile cases in the front of students’ minds, it would be easy to simply build higher walls around our ivory tower or shut ourselves away behind locked and peepholed doors. But this is no solution. There is always a possibility of something bad happening, but more likely than not, everything will be fine. While crime statistics may indicate relative safety, they are no cure for a quavering heart.

The fact is, when our Wash. U. bubble of security is breached, students don’t feel safe. And telling them it is an isolated occurrence is not going to make it all go away. What will help is University action. The University has a responsibility to the welfare of its students, and we praise the administration and the Wash. U. Police Department (WUPD) for their hard work and prompt responses. We have seen security cameras, peepholes and card-swipe doors quickly put into place after previous crimes and we look to the University and WUPD to continue this trend. We are glad to see that Student Union and WUPD will be collaborating on new efforts to address security concerns and expect that the University will keep students informed each step of the way.

After the sexual assault on campus, student feedback was sought and forums were held to gauge student opinions. These were successful, and we believe the newly announced committees and forums will be as well.

Students are not the only ones concerned. Parents are perhaps even more concerned than their children. The University must also remember to reach out to parents, who are more often than not the ones paying for an education and a safe place to send their children. Parents need to be kept in the loop and the University should work to quell their fears.

And no matter how many security protocols are put into place, it is important for every student to remember that Wash. U. is smack in the middle of a big city. We often live our lives in a bubble, but that bubble is penetrable. Unfortunately, it takes scary incidences that hit too close to home for us to grasp this. But as WUPD has advised, students should remember to be aware of their surroundings. Some incidents can’t be avoided, but basic precautions can always be used to prevent further incidences. Walk with friends, use Bear Patrol and never be afraid to call WUPD at 935-5555.

The recent mugging on the South 40 scares us. It reminds us that we are not in splendid isolation. But it should not provoke irrational fear. We are just as safe today as we were one week ago. It should further the University’s security efforts, because something needs to be done to make us feel safe again. And it should push students and parents to get involved in learning about new security measures.

We have no doubt that the administration and WUPD are working to keep us safe, but with recent occurrences, we hope they do not stop where they are. We hope they will work to assuage our fears and not just barricade us away from the world.

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 25th, 2008 at 12:00 pm and is filed under Forum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.