Last month’s increase in crime in neighborhoods where a significant number of Washington University students live has attracted plenty of attention. In response, off-campus neighborhood patrols have been visibly increased, to the relief of students and parents alike.

Those students living on the North Side might have noticed the addition of a badge-wielding security guard at the Village on weekend nights. It seems to me there might be two motivations behind the installation of this security. One is to ensure general order and prevent any unrest; the second is the prevention of theft.

Every semester, my backpack surprises my classmates. No, it’s not high-tech, excessively large or hot pink. I have a mesh backpack, and apparently very few students at Wash. U. are accustomed to seeing one. Of course, having had a mesh backpack for most of my life, I think it’s pretty weird for me to see so many students carrying opaque bags.

So, after the latest attack on a (grad) student at our prestigious university, I have to wonder when—or if—something (anything!) is going to be done about the living conditions off campus. I find it highly ironic that while the University is busy turning the South 40 into Candy Land, students are getting mugged, beaten and robbed in and around their shady off-campus apartments. While I understand that the new South 40 is primarily intended to impress the money right out of Daddy’s wallet and into the chancellor’s lap, what I don’t understand is how the University can stand behind its off-campus housing situation.

After the latest attack on a (grad) student at our prestigious university, I have to wonder when—or if—something (anything!) is going to be done about the living conditions off campus.

As University City plans potential security upgrades for the Delmar Loop, the city is reaching out to neighboring governments and institutions for help, including Washington University. A proposal fronted by University City Police Chief Charles Adams calls for closed-circuit television cameras on Delmar Boulevard in the Loop area and increased police patrols in the vicinity. [...]

Much has been said about the horrors India saw late last week in Mumbai, where a series of coordinated terrorist attacks and hostage takings killed at least 188 and wounded nearly 300 others. Not enough of this discussion has been about the electoral implications. Indians will, in just a few short months, decide once more [...]

While Paula Lauris offers some good advice about how and where to nap during the day (“Catch Some ZZZ’s”, Oct. 6), she neglects to tell her readers that they should, before falling asleep, take the elementary precaution of securing their belongings.

Though Washington University administrators have experience in planning security measures for past presidential debates, securing the campus for tonight’s vice presidential debate tonight was no easy task.