February 3, 2020 12:14 AM
Timely Warning: Robbery and Assault
ConnColl Alert: Student robbed and assaulted on Tempel Green tonight. NLPD and Campus Safety on scene. Suspect not identified. More information will be emailed.
On a seemingly typical Sunday night, the above message flooded student emails, phones, and voicemail boxes. A rush of hushed emotions and whispers circulated throughout campus in the subsequent days:
“Did you hear about the mugging?” “I’m so angry there wasn’t more information. “What happened?” “It’s about time. We live in New London.” “I was actually kind of terrified crossing the green after that.” “Well, I’m glad I’m too poor to be robbed.”
And, most importantly:
“What happens now?”
Campus Safety made a number of promises to help increase security. These promises included hiring two new officers, checking the IDs of anyone who enters campus after 8 pm, and increasing their patrols. But what has actually been done?
Following the incident, SGA and Campus Safety held an open forum seeking input from members of the Conn community. Dean Arcelus opened the meeting by giving a very brief summary of recent events and explaining that Conn is an open campus — anyone can enter at any time, but steps are always taken to ensure the security of everyone on campus, such as the dispatcher from Campus Safety who sits at the gatehouse to check IDs at night, and improved emergency blue lights and radio communication.
Director Savage followed these comments by describing what has been done so far to enhance security, along with outlining long term plans that are currently being implemented. In the past eight months, five new Campus Safety officers have been hired, and they regularly patrol the grounds at night. These driving and walking patrols will now be increased in the areas most frequently visited by students. Additionally, plans to enhance cooperation between the New London Police Department and College are being made. Director Savage stated that NLPD officers will be joining Campus Safety patrols in the future.
The rest of the meeting consisted of a relatively long Q&A session between students and the administration. Some students suggested requiring key card access to academic buildings and having Campus Safety escort students after certain hours, both of which Dean Arcelus considered reasonable requests. Several concerns were raised about the condition of blue lights on campus, noting their sparse distribution, the lack of lighting on several emergency phones, impaired functionality due to rust and dimmed lighting, and a general frustration over why it has taken so long for such essential changes to be made — students should not need to be harmed in order for fundamental issues in campus security to be prioritized.
A significant portion of the Q&A dealt with the number and location of cameras on campus. SGA members highlighted that video evidence is a particularly important objective measure in cases when the only records of an event are student reports. Following these concerns, a list of the locations of all cameras on campus was disclosed to SGA, then emailed to the student body. However, based on a brief survey taken by the campus community, several students are extremely dissatisfied to have only 18 cameras monitoring a campus and arboretum which spans nearly 750 acres. It is also worth noting that none of these cameras overlook the South end of campus where the robbery took place.
To gain a better understanding of how these changes to campus security are being implemented, I decided to do some experimenting of my own. This week, I happened to be off-campus one night and decided to return well after the 8 PM curfew to know whether entering campus at night was as restricted as claimed. To my surprise, all of the gates aside from the main gate had indeed been closed, an “ID Check” sign had been posted, and a Campus Safety officer stationed at the guardhouse inquired about my whereabouts; but despite assuring promises made in the open forum, my ID was not checked.
Between last year’s voyeurism incidents, Village apartment burglaries, and this recent mugging, it is evident that some substantial improvements need to be made to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students, faculty, staff, and visitors on campus. Such changes, however, can only be implemented effectively through clear and consistent communication between all members of Conn’s community. •
Photos courtesy of Long Ta.
