Becca Frucht, student government's student services committee chairwoman, met with University police Chief Derek Poarch on Monday after a Sunday night Cabinet meeting called to discuss campus safety issues.
On Sept. 19, a student in his Avery Residence Hall room was robbed at gunpoint of his laptop computer, cellular phone, gold chain and cash. On the same night, a laptop computer and cellular phone were stolen from a Granville room. University police have released pictures of two suspects but have not yet made any arrests.
While no concrete plans have been made, a few ideas about campus safety were brought up that student government, the Residence Hall Association and University police want to implement collectively, Frucht said.
She said the ideas included the installation of cameras on external residence hall doors as well as an increase in officer presence at residence halls.
Frucht stressed that leaders must consider possible negative effects of heightened security measures, saying there is concern that some students might oppose extra efforts. "We enjoy the open campus atmosphere," she said. "We don't want the campus to be impersonal."
Poarch said that University police are doing all they can to solve the robberies but that individuals should take extra precautionary safety measures in the meantime.
Housing Director Christopher Payne said RHA President Joanna Jordan spoke with him after the robberies to initiate an educational awareness program to students. "We especially want to focus on areas of prevention," Payne said. "The RHA wants to make the student body actively aware and involved."
Jordan said they implemented a "Lock It and Stop It" program on the Monday after the night of the robberies to curb the problem of tailgating, or allowing people to follow in residents at residence halls. "There's a lot the average student can do to help the community," she said.
The collaborative efforts of the departments have made dealing with the issues of resident hall security easier, Jordan said. The RHA pitched the ideas to the housing department, and the resident assistants helped carry them out. "It gave the RAs the opportunity to talk with (the residents) about safety issues," Jordan said.
