I am posting this response to the previous one about campus and the security needed. First things first, here is the article that UMass Police sent to the campus after the crime was investigated:
Update on Unarmed Robbery Crime Alert
On September 4, 2008 the University of Massachusetts Police Department Amherst issued a Crime Alert regarding a reported unarmed robbery on campus. Further investigation has revealed this crime did not occur; the reporting party has retracted the allegation that she had been robbed. There is no reason for members of the community to be concerned for their safety. Please remember that the filing of a false police report is a criminal offense. The Police Department takes the filing of a false police report seriously and will review this matter fully with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office.
So, someone made up the crime. For what reason, we may never know. Regardless, there are still issues on campus dealing with security. For example, the dorm that a friend of mine lives in had no security at night for the two nights that I visited her. One could say that maybe there just wasn't anyone there when I walked by, but I was there for a few hours and saw no one. This means that anyone that opens the door for someone standing outside could just come in, and do...who knows what. I may sound paranoid, but these are students' homes. They deserve a safe environment.
In response to Scott's comment on the last post, I think the local media has done a decent job covering campus safety. I have seen articles in the Collegian, the Daily Hampshire Gazette, and the Republican about violence, drinking, and just general crimes on campus. I have seen few news stories, however, on local TV.
Even though the media has covered these stories, I think there is something missing. These publications do not have the students' point view. Yes, just getting the information out to the public is helpful, but without the students' input, no one is getting the real stuff. What's really going on in the dorms and on campus. There is so much that the public does not know about. Students are experiencing the lack of security and crimes on campus and need to say and do something about it.
2 comments:
I agree. I think it's weird that there isn't as much security as you'd think for such a large university with a "reputation" for crimes. Two of my best friends go to Northeastern Univ., where there is a person who checks student IDs in all campus dorms/apartments 24/7. There's no sneaking past the check-in person, or going through any secret doors, because if he/she doesn't swipe your card, the door that opens the building will not open.
It's absurd that at UMass, ANYONE can enter any residence hall before around 8 p.m., so long as you enter the hall right after someone swipes their card, which is very easy to do.
I'm an RA in Van Meter which is the biggest dorm on campus and you seriously can't tell if the person you're holding the door for is one of your 500 residents, or some random criminal. Already, there were a bunch of guys selling faulty ethernet cables in my dorm to students.
Ugh, sorry. I feel very passionate about this topic haha.
Oh don't apologize! Rightly so you're passionate about it, I would be too if I were an RA. It would be scary to think of my residents possibly having criminals in their halls. I am passionate about this topic too, it's home, ya know? I don't know, maybe I am a little paranoid, but I definitely want my stuff and my self, safe.
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