OUR VIEW: Campus a pretty safe place to be
After our last couple discussions on a few Greeks, and the lack of big entertainment at USU, it’s now time to highlight a part of campus that we’re proud to say is ours as a campus community: The high level of campus security.
The USU police force does an excellent job of ensuring our safety. In the evening, campus is well lit. Police officers are sometimes walking or driving around making sure things are going well. Both of the parking garages are well lit for people walking to their cars at 12:30 a.m., like the Statesman staff after doing newspaper layout three times a week or the students who work late in the computer labs.
The emergency kiosks located throughout campus are helpful for anyone in trouble. USU police are usually pretty good at getting to those kiosks quickly if the emergency button has been pushed. A word to all those who don’t think though: don’t push the button just for fun. The police have to respond to every emergency kiosk button that is pushed. And if a real emergency should happen during the time the police have to go to a false-button alarm kiosk, then the police officers are wasting time. That can be dangerous.
Our level of campus security, though, can only go so far with help from USU police. Do you part. Be smart. Lock your car doors. Just because your car is a piece of crap from 1985 and you wouldn’t mind someone taking it off your hands, valuables in the car are at risk if the doors are not locked. If you leave an iPod or a CD case in it, lock it. It’s the simplest thing. Not only are obvious valuables a prize for potential thievery, parking permits have also been lifted in the past.
Besides locking car doors, be safe and lock your apartment door. Just because six people live in the same place doesn’t mean someone is always there, keeping watch over computers, printers, clothes and other valuables. Take your key with you. It’s too easy. It’s a wonder some students still report missing things form their apartment, like computers. You’re going to college for a reason. If something is so simple to prevent, then don’t act so dumb.
On a serious note, there are some problems at USU with sexual assault and rape. While USU ranks below the national average, it is nonetheless something to be aware of. For those students who have been victims of rape or know something about a sexual abuse situation, report it. If not, then someone else could become a victim. USU police and the people at CAPSA are here to help rape victims. Take advantage of that and don’t be scared to report something. Until the community at large gets involved in preventing sexual assault, these crimes will likely continue to occur.
We applaud the USU Police and Logan Police for working to keep USU and Logan in general, a pretty safe place to live.