Jazmine Hughes wrote last week about safety concerns on campus, especially in light of the “bathroom creeper.” I have plenty of safety concerns of my own, and ones I think that all students should seriously consider. I repeat: we are not in a bubble.
Although the “bathroom creeper” was later identified as previous sex offender Thomas Lee Walden, who was hired as an independent contractor for the college, a person intent on committing (or likely to commit) an offense such as sexual voyeurism, assault or rape does not necessarily have to be a hired worker.
We are an open campus with four entrances wide open during the day and limited ID checks for cars, and endless pathways and easily-scalable walls inviting visitors anytime day or night.
Any person with an interest in coming onto a campus full of young college-aged men and women can easily do so. And we quite often forget this.
Aside from Walden, check out the list of other sex offenders from Groton, New London, Waterford, Mystic, Ledyard and other nearby towns and cities. The list is extensive. (You can read about it here)
Campus Safety, try as they might to protect us, is limited in resources, both that of staff and supplies such as guns and handcuffs. The most they can honestly do is call the New London police in case of widespread campus emergencies.
But this is not unusual. Most other college campuses have similar limitations with their campus safety merely because they are not police themselves. They don’t have the rights to make arrests.
This being said, they are a useful resource. I have great respect for the girl who called campus safety when she noted suspicious activity by the “bathroom creeper.” Her actions were commendable and something every student should keep in mind if they are faced with a suspicious person or action.
We are not a bubble. Conn is in the real world. And we should keep this incident with Walden in the back of our minds when walking around campus at night, seeing suspicious-looking people in dorms or in Cro at night, etc.
I also strongly encourage our friends at Campus Safety to maintain consistency when checking cars at night. I know realistically that anyone can walk on campus or jump over the back gate, but let’s keep the standards as high as possible, and our campus as safe as possible.
Also a shout out to Physical Plant – please continue routinely checking the card swipe systems for the houses. There’s nothing creepier than noticing the card swipe system doesn’t work and the front door to your house is wide open. Especially mere hours after reading Dean Briddell and Stewart Smith’s original email to the campus community.
