Within the past few weeks, there have been car break-ins across Averett University’s main campus. The big question is, do students feel safe living on campus, and do they know what to do in case of threats?
Nowhere is 100% safe when it comes to crime. Crime is everywhere, but that does not mean that you should be fearful of where you live. With all these new and returning students, security and staff must get accustomed to the large groups of people on campus.
Despite there being many students back on campus, this just means classes are back to in-person session. One of the many items listed by surveyed students, was that they enjoyed being able to walk to classes in a quick and short amount of time.
“Living on campus feels safe and is very convenient for classes and food,” said freshman Zach Alway.
“Personally, I love living on campus. Especially as an international student without a car, it makes everything very accessible for me, being able to walk to class within 2 minutes. I also love living on campus to get the “dorm experience”,” said returning sophomore and Resident Assistant Cayden Holdsworth.
As stated by Holdsworth, the “dorm experience” is one that many students living on campus get to participate in, create lots of joyous memories, and lasting relationships. However, despite there being lots of memories to be made, security is something of the utmost importance. This security comes from knowing what to do in case of emergencies.
“I don’t feel like the university gives as much information about emergencies as they could. For example, if there was a shooter what is the best thing for us to do or where should we go/avoid,” said Isobel Evans returning junior.
One of the first things told to students at orientation during welcome week is how to contact security and where they are. Students are also told about an app called LiveSafe that informs those on campus about any security issues that might arise.
“I don’t think the university provides enough direct information on what to do in emergencies. I know there are posters around the school stating what to do in an emergency, and I believe it is enlisted on the syllabus, but it isn’t direct information. I, as an RA, receive training on what to do in an emergency, but instead of everything being left on me to try and handle, I think all students should be directly informed on what to do,” stated Holdsworth.
While RA’s get lots of training and information about security measures on how to stay safe on campus, the rest of students living on campus feel left out of the loop.
“I don’t think there is enough security measures on campus regarding common public spaces such as the parking lots or the Cougar Den where incidents have occurred and the school wasn’t able to provide services that cause setbacks for students such as theft,” Brianna Larios, one of the sophomore Resident Assistants mentioned.
Not only should there be more information regarding security measures, but some students believe that more cameras or an increase in staff should be implemented to keep everyone safe.
Freshman Robbie Isenhour had this suggestion to make, “Something that should be changed is to have someone in the office as well as someone walking around campus to ensure safety at all possible moments. Something else that should be changed is that the security staff should be introduced to all the students to make sure they know who they are talking to and be comfortable reaching out.”
“I don’t think there’s enough security measures on campus. I think there should definitely be more lights and cameras especially since there are a lot of females that may walk around the campus alone at night,” added Evans on security specifically at night on campus.
Even though most students feel safe on campus there will always be concerns and improvements to be made by the university itself. Unfortunately, no comments were able to be made from the security staff on campus or housing and residence faculty.
