Issue date: 5/3/02 Section: Opinion

Media Credit: Brian Alford/Photo Editor

Lately, it seems as though the College has been into fixing things that are not broken and ignoring the things that are. One of the things that is in dire need of fixing is Public Safety.

In the past two weeks, I have received two parking tickets from Public Safety, and, within those same two weeks, I have walked into Veasey Hall late at night with both of the front doors standing unlocked. I don't know about you, but it seems like their priorities are a bit out of line.

The safety of students should be the primary concern of Public Safety. As we witnessed with their lackluster response to the potential rapist about campus, Public Safety is not really doing their job. When I came upon the unlocked doors in Veasey at 4 am, I called Public Safety and told them about it.

They claimed that it was not their job to lock the doors in the residence halls and that I should call the RA's. I did so and the doors were locked. When I came upon the unlocked doors for the second time, I again called Public Safety and got into a little discussion with them about whose responsibility it is to ensure that buildings are secure at night.

In Martin Hall, a Public Safety officer comes by every night at midnight to lock the doors; therefore, their claim that they do not lock hall doors is patently false.

After all this, I ran into Michelle Anderson, the area coordinator for the north side of campus, and she was quite responsive to the problem. She said that she would look into the matter and work diligently to ensure that it does not occur in the future.

With a potential rapist around the area, Public Safety should be more than happy to lock doors when reported unlocked. They should be much more proactive and accurate when disseminating information about such problems and pleasant while they are doing so.

The issue comes down to this: while Public Safety is quite efficient at writing parking tickets, they are grossly inefficient and ineffective at ensuring that the campus is safe. It appears that there are other areas of priority re-alignment needed at the building across Washington as well.

For example, two ladies told me about calling Public Safety for an escort home from the library late one night. They waited for 45 minutes before giving up and heading home on their own. They were quite nervous and sang "Jesus Loves Me" all the way home to keep their mind off worrying. They arrived home ok, but have little faith in Public Safety's commitment to escorting students home late at night. This is unacceptable.

Several nights last week, the Hendrix campus was graced with the presence of a group of Conway kids skateboarding about campus. Again, several students mentioned this, as they were loitering around the front of the library and the brick patio. From a security standpoint, this is not very safe for Hendrix students or for Hendrix property.

A final example recalls two separate instances of female students walking home along Washington and having something thrown at them from a moving vehicle. This is along the same street as Public Safety headquarters and still this goes on.

This article is merely meant to bring to light these problems and encourage students to take a more active role in ensuring the safety of the community. I hope that the administration will take a serious look at this discrepancies and work to remedy the situation. Until then, students be alert!

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