When Northwestern's new security policies were announced last November, about 90 percent of students who responded to an ASG poll on HereAndNow said they opposed the plan.
But last week when the policies were implemented, they met little resistance, and now the university could expand its policies as early as next week - adding contracted guards for smaller dorms to match those already in larger ones, according to University Police Assistant Chief Dan McAleer.
"We are working to supplement the (community service officers) with contract security officers to cover the nine smaller residence halls that had student monitors last year," McAleer said. "We hope to have them in place by the first of October, if not before."
Willard Residential College president Stuart Anderson said students are coming around to the administration's point of view at his dorm, where a security guard is on duty from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.
"We really like the new system," the Weinberg sophomore said. "It gives us security, and it gives us a new face in the dorm. We have a new security guard, and he's getting to know us. Everyone's becoming friends with (the security guard)."
The new measures were phased in over the summer and are designed to ensure only residents of university housing and their guests can enter dorms. When students returned to campus last week, security cameras were placed in entrances in every dorm on campus, and professional community service officers began working in the entrances of those dorms with more than 150 residents.
According to McAleer, the changes are significant.
"Obviously there's been a lot of changes to the landscape," McAleer said. "This is an initiative the university has taken to not only maintain but also to improve residence hall security."
Foster-Walker Complex President Eric Parker said residents in his dorm received the latest changes well. Last spring, Foster-Walker residents objected to alarms placed on all doors besides the front entrance.
2008 Woodie Awards
The DAILY encourages you to share your thoughts on this story. Please help us keep the discussion lively, but civil. Comments that are abusive to others, off-topic or vulgar, or comments that misrepresent someone's identity, will not be tolerated. We reserve the right to delete any comments in violation or to close comment threads on articles.
Please e-mail online@dailynorthwestern.com to flag a comment or for more information.
Be the first to comment on this story