Recently, the SHU Department of Public Safety began investigating a suspicious situation occurring in the residence halls. At 9:30 p.m. Oct. 29 in the residence halls, an unknown male unaffiliated with the residence hall community allegedly dressed in likeness to “Jesus” was reported to have been knocking on students’ doors asking for directions. The Department of Public Safety advises the community not to prop exterior doors or let anyone strange into the building, as well as secure room doors and vehicles and report suspicious activity.

However, this incident raised questions regarding the overall security of the campus compared to other campuses that some Siena students previously have attended, such as Eastern Michigan University.

While other campuses have implemented safety protocols which include doors with key card entry, RAs stationed at entrances, and limited access to residence halls, Siena has an open campus policy that allows anyone to enter and exit at any time of the night. While students are encouraged to keep their doors locked, and there are dispatchers and security guards on duty around the clock, several students can agree that they still feel a bit unsafe.

The biggest concerns regarding student safety have to do with the construction of the building itself. Considering that the university recently celebrated its 100th anniversary, Ledwidge and Archangelus halls are more than 50 years old.

The front doors, especially, may be outdated or are in need of some upgrades. We suggest that there should be a check-in policy in place or a way that only students and faculty/staff members are able to enter the building. Another suggestion is that the campus should have some type of emergency buttons, or emergency call system in place around the campus.

Many of these suggestions, however, are already in effect to some extent. While there are no locks on the front doors, the campus closes at midnight. All access is restricted to only the front doors after that time until the morning. Buildings like Saint Catherine Hall and Campus Village are locked 24/7, and student dispatchers or RAs are there to ensure the doors are not propped open.

While Siena does not have emergency call stations, there are SHUTips, which is a way students can send in anonymous tips and are addressed by the Public Safety staff.

The university also offers the ability to be escorted to certain locations if a student does not feel safe walking alone.

However, it is important that students and faculty/staff alike are willing to cooperate with each other and uphold university policies to ensure a safe environment.

SPECTRA