the Informer

Safety on campus is something that all students should strive for, so why is it that as I walk around The Village everyday, there are dozens of doors that are not only unlocked, they are wide open? Doors to both first and second floor apartments swing in the breeze but there are no residents in sight. In light of the recent on-campus robberies, many resident students are wondering what they can do to make sure they do not become a victim of theft. Well, the first piece of advice I can give you is to close your apartment door. The next piece? Lock it!

I often find myself baffled at the way that many residents allow their apartments to be wide open, and not only are they open, there's nobody inside.

Doesn't anyone care about their stuff anymore? The idea that there is so little care for personal safety from so many residents is so absurd that I sometimes find it hard to be upset when I get an e-mail reporting another robbery from an unlocked room.

Unlocked doors, however, are not the only safety issue on campus these days. Dumpster fires have been slowly popping up this year too. Fire is an issue that this University takes incredibly seriously; there have been way too many close calls with fire on this campus for my comfort. Last fall, one student set most of the dumpsters in The Village on fire, putting the lives of hundreds of students in danger.

Several years ago, a building in C Complex caught fire due to a negligent resident with an extension chord. Space heaters? They've been the culprits to fires in the not-so-distant past, too.

Why is it that students put themselves and others in danger over something like an extension chord, or over setting some garbage on fire? Why is that fun? I still haven't figured it out, but I hope someone lets me in on it soon.

Going along with fire, who decided that pulling the fire alarm was fun?

This past weekend, while watching the MTV Video Music Awards, someone thought it would be nice to pull the alarm right in front of my door. Twice. Yeah, it was truly wonderful to see everyone's disgruntled faces as they trudged out of their rooms and into the chilly air.

Was I a little upset that I had to miss Pink's performance? Of course I was, but I would've been even more upset if I had gotten hurt in a fire. What's even worse than having to leave your apartment for a fire alarm, is watching someone stay inside.

When the fire alarm is screaming to get out, it's probably a good idea to do so. What if you decide that you're tired of leaving or that you'd rather sit in your room to stay out of the rain during an alarm, or trying to avoid the cold? Is it worth putting yourself at risk over the weather? Personally, you could not pay me enough money to stay inside during an alarm. It simply is not worth the risk.

Personal safety should be a priority for everyone, all the time. If you're not going to look out for yourself, nobody is going to look out for you. So be smart about how you behave both on and off campus. Lock your doors, don't set fires, walk in pairs (especially at night) and don't act foolish.

Students should be aware of the blue emergency boxes on campus as well as have the number for Public Safety (extension 7985 for routine calls and 7777 for emergencies) handy at all times. Making your own safety a priority will make it easier for other people to do the same.