There has been a notable increase in safety and security concerns at Monmouth University over the past few weeks, leading many students to question how secure the campus truly is.
On Feb. 24, an incident occurred in the ladies’ restroom on the second floor of Pozycki Hall in which a suspicious male was caught looking over an occupied stall.
A few days later, on Feb. 27, a catalytic converter was stolen from a student’s vehicle at the University Bluffs, highlighting a lack of security cameras and other protective measures at the University’s off-campus apartments.
On March 16, a suspicious male followed a female student across campus and attempted to break into Laurel Hall after she entered the building.
Students receive a Hawk Safety Alert through their email when incidents of this nature occur, highlighting the details of what happened and advising students to contact the Monmouth University Police Department if they see any suspicious persons or activity on campus.
Similarly, most of these emails make a point of mentioning that there is no immediate threat to the campus. Even if this is true, many students have indicated that they often feel unsafe at Monmouth University due to the lackluster response to these incidents and a lack of safety and security measures to prevent these events from happening in the first place.
The editors agree that although not everyone has a personal experience with feeling unsafe on campus, the University has not created an environment that protects the campus community to the extent that is expected by students.
“Personally, I had never experienced a feeling of unsafety on campus,” said one editor. “However, I do worry about those who have, specifically students who live at the Bluffs and have been experiencing car-part robberies and odd men lurking around.”
“I haven’t personally experienced an unsafe situation, but it bothers me that the school doesn’t seem to do anything. We pay a lot of money to attend a school that is supposed to protect and look after us. It’s annoying to be hearing almost every week that there is someone following a student, or someone is in the women’s bathroom,” added another editor.
“While I don’t feel unsafe here, I do feel a sense of concern that there seems to be creepy individuals coming onto campus regularly and harassing female students by following them or trying to get into their bathrooms or dorms,” commented a third editor.
Other editors voiced greater levels of concern about their own safety, describing ways in which they have taken extra precautions on campus.
“After the incident that happened in the bathroom, I personally scan the restroom because I’m afraid that someone that isn’t supposed to be there will,” described a fourth editor. “At night when I am walking back to my apartment on campus, I’m constantly looking behind my back to see if anyone is following me.”
“I normally feel relatively safe as I walk around campus. But, as a woman, I think I have always practiced caution in being mindful of my surroundings, no matter the specific environment,” explained another editor. “It is troublesome to hear that Monmouth, a campus located in a largely suburban area, is victim to so much criminal activity.”
The editors agree that the University does not do a sufficient job of responding to these incidents, which contributes to the general lack of safety felt by students on campus. We understand that it’s difficult to prevent these events from happening, but students do not feel heard or valued based on the University’s recent responses to instances of crime and security breaches.
“I do not think the University has done a good job at responding to these incidents, which I believe should prompt any University to act fast when it comes to upping security. They should at least have MUPD patrol the area more often and install cameras,” suggested one editor.
“I’m at the point where I would rather there be gates at every entrance of campus and students and faculty would have to show our ID or something. I genuinely feel so unsafe,” expressed another editor, who noted that she feels especially concerned about living at the Bluffs. “There is an incident that happens at least once a week, and I would rather there be gates there as well at least at the entrance and exit of the parking lot. I understand that there is more of an independent aspect when it comes to living at the Bluffs, but we’re still students at Monmouth University and wish to be treated and protected properly.”
Other editors indicated that they understand that the University has limited control over these incidents and are willing to recognize the steps being taken to protect students.
“I find the Hawk Alerts especially helpful since it keeps the campus community up to date with current events rather than allowing rumors to spread,” said one editor. “I constantly see MUPD officers on campus, driving through the commuter parking lot – I don’t see what else they could be doing in all honesty.”
“I feel like there needs to be more security personnel stationed throughout campus to ensure that they will be able to get there on time if an incident were to occur,” suggested another editor.
“I think we deserve better responses and more MUPD surveillance and presence,” agreed another editor.
Ultimately, the editors believe that there are clear issues with the University’s approach to maintaining adequate safety and security measures on campus. We would like to see the University make more of an effort to address these concerns.