Giving residence hall security a fair chance

By Editorial

This week marked the beginning of a new face of dorm security at Santa Clara. No longer can residents hold doors open for 'friendly faces' in Campisi and Swig. Instead, all non-resident entrants to these two communities between the hours of 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. must be signed in by a resident and leave a government-issued identification card at the service desk.

Many students have complained about these new security measures. Some liken the changes to Big Brother intrusion and see them as an infringement on their privacy; others see it as an unnecessary and useless pain. Our campus is secure, right?

While Santa Clara's smiling faces and friendly games of frisbee may give the allure of safety, recent events show otherwise.

We cannot ignore the fact that our off-campus community has been ridden with burglaries in the past year. As reported in "How safe is your neighborhood," in the Oct. 5 issue of The Santa Clara, the area surrounding Santa Clara was the most burglarized in the city of Santa Clara between January and June of 2006. But these problems aren't restricted to off-campus housing.

Over the course of this school year there have been numerous reports of dorm theft, prowlers and unaffiliated guests entering residence halls without permission. In the fall, two laptops and an iPod were reported stolen from unlocked rooms in Swig and Dunne residence halls. In the beginning of winter quarter, three incidents of suspicious persons were reported on campus within a week.

Instead of passively advising students to lock their doors, report suspicious persons and restrict tailgaters, the administration has decided to proactively address this problem by instituting a new system. As students, we often criticize the university when they don't respond to growing campus issues. Yet when they do choose to act, we complain.

In addition to decreasing campus thefts, greater security has the ability to prevent or reduce instances of sexual assault. With documentation of each guest, perpetrators can be more easily pinpointed and given the proper punishment.

These new measures aren't unheard of -- in fact, the regulations are in line with those at other universities.

At Loyola Marymount, guests within the residence halls are required to check in at the front desk and carry a guest pass for the duration of their visit.

We must remember that the new security measures are merely in a test phase. It's difficult to argue against a system designed to protect us. Yes, it may be a hassle, and yes, it may cause frustration. But the benefits of a safer community far outweigh these costs.

And if it doesn't work, then the administration should be ready to make changes.

As of now, these measures apply only to those residents in Campisi and Swig and the guests they decide to invite. Beyond this, the security is only enforced after 10 p.m.

We must not blow the issue out of proportion. Though any new regulation will induce obvious changes in residence hall lifestyles, the new security measures are relatively minor. In fact, after a few months of adjustment, it may even become routine.

Let's at least give the new security measures a chance. After this quarter, if tensions still run high, campus theft hasn't decreased and residents still feel their every move is documented on camera, then we can brainstorm better solutions. But until then, work with the changes, don't fight them.