By Julianna Moreland, Connor Bryant, Jordan France, and Elijah Horman
After events at other universities such as the tragedy at UNC, students at WPU are wondering if more can be done to help keep the university secure. Tragedies like this have students living on and off campus wanting to ensure Public Safety is doing everything it can to protect the student body during emergencies.
To understand these concerns, Peace Times Media conducted an informal survey among students. Of the 77 responses 53% expressed the view that the campus requires additional security measures in light of the events at UNC.
“The events at UNC made me fear for my security on campus, and it worried me that the WPU campus might not be ready for a situation like that,” sophomore Francessca Diaz Del Olmo Calvo said.
Furthermore, 44% of students believed that accessing dorms was too easy, raising questions about the effectiveness of current security measures. Furthermore 25% percent of students admitted to being worried about potential break-ins.
Students living on campus are a priority for campus safety. The dorm buildings are a place for students to feel safe but with unregulated access, anyone can find easy ways into the building.
To test how valid ease of access concerns were, two students performed an experiment to gain access to the dorm buildings.
Justin Long, with William English’s consent, attempted to enter English’s dorm room with the assistance of Public Safety. Long successfully gained access to the dorm’s hall without encountering any inquiries or requests for identification from Public Safety.
“It’s concerning that someone could get into my room this easily. It makes me worry,” said English.
In response to this experiment, Director of Public Safety Michael John explained that officers often recognize familiar students, creating a trust factor that leads to leniency in verifying identities.
“The key is being familiar with the students and being familiar with who is on campus regularly,” John said.
He admitted that they had discontinued the practice of checking IDs and using the “room unlock” form to let locked-out students in part due to student dissatisfaction with delays. However, John affirmed that these security measures would be reinstated, and additional measures, such as having rosters on officers’ phones, would be implemented to verify identities before granting access. The process of ID checking has since been reinstated.
He also spoke about the lockdown drill that occurred on Oct. 5 that provided an opportunity for students and faculty to actively participate in enhancing campus safety.
In the event of an active shooter, John outlined the lockdown protocol and the importance of vigilant officers who are trained to identify unfamiliar individuals on campus. He underscored the use of an emergency alert system to inform students promptly during crises.
Despite being an open campus, WPU has not reported any burglaries or robberies in on-campus student housing for the past three years, according to John.
As for areas that require improvement, John emphasized the need for heightened security awareness among students, who must secure their properties diligently. He encouraged students to report any suspicious activity, regardless of whether it involved fellow students.
“It’s important for the community to be vigilant, to be alert, as to their surroundings. If you see someone that you don’t recognize, we want you to call public safety … If you see something, say something,” John said