Safety of campus should be more transparent

Being safe is an important part of making a student’s experience at Augustana memorable, and now is the time for action and transparency in regards to campus safety.

There have been multiple events in the last year where I have been concerned about the safety of campus.

Last semester, a commuter student came onto campus with a weapon. This incident was resolved rather quickly and no harm was done, but students were not made aware of the incident until two weeks after the event had occurred.

In the future, I would like to have reminders pushed out sooner to students reminding them of the gun-free-zone policy that is established when these instances occur. Placing gun-free-zone stickers on all building entrances would be a cheap, easy and effective way to remind students of this policy.

This fall, there have also been at least two instances of a white supremacist hate group putting posters and stickers around campus.

The information regarding the propaganda incident is vaguely listed on the public Campus Safety log. Instead, I had to directly ask for the additional information. I do wonder why an email with that same information could not be sent to the Augustana community to alert it.

A 2018 Bryant University thesis shows that individuals who align with white supremacist ideologies are more likely to have violent personalities, which could cause harm to others.

While the violation of the gun-free-zone policy and the spreading of hate speech seem to be separate entities, both should be taken seriously and communication between students and administration should exist more quickly than what we currently have.

A statement alerting students of the activity that has occurred and denouncing the hate group should be issued, as it would be in the best interest of the student body. That way, we can figure out who the individuals are who are spreading the hateful, neo-fascist and white supremacist messages.

Hate should never be tolerated on campus, as it goes against all of the university values.

Although we pride ourselves on being open to the community, we also still need protection from the outside. This campus is where many students live.

Campus Safety officers currently only carry pepper spray, batons and sometimes body cameras. As campus continues to expand, students, administration and Campus Safety should have a discussion about whether officers should carry tasers or sting guns.

Schools such as South Dakota State University have active shooter training simulations at least twice a month, which students and faculty are encouraged to attend. SDSU’s website also shares educational videos that explain what someone should do if an incident were to occur.

I believe this training, as well as watching educational videos, would be useful for everyone, given that we live in an open-carry state and school shootings have become rather common occurrences nationwide.

I also believe that lighting is a serious issue on campus. Some parts of campus, such as near the Mail Center and Edith Mortenson Center Theatre entrance of the Commons, are not well-lit and they should be.

Having better lighting will make students feel safer as they can better see their surroundings when walking at night. According to the South Dakota Sex Offender Registry, there are 80 registered sex offenders within a one-mile radius of the university. More lighting will make students, especially women, feel safer at night.

I hope this piece will help start an open dialogue about these issues between students and administration, as oftentimes many students may feel that administration is unapproachable because of the hierarchy structure that is in place.