Last Tuesday, two students whose home was recently burglarized sent a petition to Residential Life that called for new security measures on woodframe houses. Among other additions, the petition asked that puncture-proof windows and dead-bolted steel doors be installed in each house, along with motion-sensitive lighting for outdoor porches and patios. The petition also said that burglaries and larcenies are far too common on campus.
We understand that crime is a serious matter. But we cannot hold the University accountable for the vicissitudes of everyday life—especially not for those that, unfortunately, are realities in any city or town. Despite our unease, it is still up to us to keep our belongings safe.
To start off, students should always remind themselves to take elementary precautions. Every night, before a student goes to bed, he or she should close all doors and windows and check that each one is locked. He or she should remove all valuables from public spaces—especially laptops—and lock all bedroom doors. Most robberies occur when students ignore these measures, just as they do outside of the University. If a student still feels nervous, he or she can buy personal property insurance using information on the ResLife website.
Public Safety already does much to help us feel secure, sending campus-wide e-mails that immediately alert the community of incidents as they occur. Those who complain of low security on campus should compare us to our peer institutions.
Though we expect the University to do what it can to keep us safe, it is worthwhile to remember that we are not on a gated campus. Crime happens in Middletown. If we consider ourselves a part of the community—as we do in our activist and philanthropic endeavors—we need to understand that we are living in a city, and that the realities of city life demand that we exercise caution. Suggesting that we should be exempt from our responsibilities only insults our neighbors.
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