EDITORIAL Students need security now

Students think that their safety is being compromised. The recent assault on campus reopens a sore and heavily debated problem:' Is the campus secure and are the students who occupy it safe? This issue is different from housing problems and being able to choose who an overnight guest can be. The issue affects all who use the campus grounds: faculty, students, administration, employees, students' families, athletes and many more. This is the most important issue and invariably the one that needs to be addressed and resolved immediately. Students must feel safe and the college has to act now so that this can be achieved.

Students take shortcuts. Students do not always travel the popular route. Students want to get from one place to another quickly. Popular paths and trails that are used frequently to get to the houses are in complete darkness. To walk down most of trails, one must use one's feet to find the way due to the absence of lighting. From plain observation, little could be done to help a victim if an attack were to happen on one of these routes due to their remoteness. Lighting must be installed along these routes for safety. Call boxes should be placed along the paths for use in possible emergencies. The letter released to the campus community by Dr. Laura Valente, vice president of student development, stat:ed that the area surrounding house seven where last week's assault occurred is well lit. Lighting around house seven is shadowy and insufficient.

Measures must be taken to maintain a safe environment and put student worries at ease. More call boxes must be erected on routes where students travel. Existing call boxes must be checked to make sure they are properly working and if they are not, they must be repaired. It is in the college's interest as well as the students' to make sure that the campus is secure.

Valente's letter also stated that the college will hire a large amount of public safety officers to assist on campus. The public safety director should prioritize the jobs his staff is asked to do. Safety should take precedence over enforcing less important rules such as parking and busting up parties. The department must provide a stronger presence on less-popular paths and routes. At the beginning of this school year the department stated that it would be cracking down on student parties, underage drinking and other social activities. There are more important issues to be focused upon than the mere partying of students. One of the most important issues is the need for campus patrolling by the Public Safety department.

Many students are scared to do basic things on campus such as walking or exercising because of the assault incident. Students usually do not think twice about their safety on campus. Steps need to be taken to reinsure the students' confidence in the college's safety.