CREE
Since 1960
and for
die Wesleyan
commiinity**
luvir XX
19 MARch 2005
NuMbER 4|
insicie
thiis
issuie
Page 2
EdiTOR's
Corner
‘BACK BY POPULAR
DEMAETD.
It's the return- of
Matthew Esterlirie
with his 2004 Movie
Awards
S3
Page 3
Sleep Out For the
Homeless: Ifs More
Than Just Spare
Change!
e
Page 4
The Power of the
Majority
Your Decree Staff
Editor-in-Chief
-Ron Fitzwater-
Correspondents
■ ' -Hamam Isma^ -
-Ken Kornegay-
^Matthew Estertfni^f'
-A’liiuj OciKley-
'-Trevor Seibert:' *
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-Modestine
Photographers
-Evelyn Hunter^
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Special Contributors
-/'^tfliony Hawkins-Tobi^-
Faculty Adviser
" -Dr. Bill Grattah- ,
Students Search For Answers To
Safety Concerns
Security gates have been installed at the back entrances to campus.
By
Ron Fitzwater
Last semester, in Dr. Jay
Stubblefield’s ENG 304 (Business
Communication) class, the students
had to do a short presentation as a
warm up for the final presentation
of the semester. The presentation
was to be 5 minutes about
something we would change at
Wesleyan. As I sat there listening
to the presentations, I realized that
most of them centered around two
things #1 Campus Security and #2
Parking.
For the most part, students had
the same basic three points for the
parking issue:
1. There is not enough parking
2. There is not enough lighting in
the parking lots
3. Students want the problem fixed,
yesterday
As far as security on campus goes,
they are concerned about several
areas;
1. Outsiders gaining access to
campus
2. Petty thefts and robberies of
varying degrees
3. Too few officers on duty, primarily
on weekends
4. Lack of city police presence on
campus
In this the second installment
focusing on on-campus crimes, we
look at current and future security
programs at North Carolina
Wesleyan College.
The question as to whether
these concerns are widespread
on campus is debatable. Some
students have been raising
questions about personal safety.
Dr Stubblefield spoke about other
students he advises and speaks
with regularly. Stubblefield said,
“Some students tell me that
the transformation the college
undergoes on the weekends
makes them very uncomfortable.
Students report people on campus
that they don’t know, possibly from
the community. That makes them
nervous.”
But how does he feel about coming
on campus during off hours? “I try
to avoid coming on campus late
at night”, he said. “Now that’s not
because of the security staff. I
was on the community standards
board and 1 think the problem (with
the perceived increase in campus
crime) is there is not sufficient
enforcement of student conduct.”
Stubblefield feels there is a
disconnect between the sanctions
issued and the enforcement of
those sanctions. “So I think there’s
been a development of a climate
of permissiveness, or ‘nothing will
really happen to you’”, he stated.
Not pinpointing anyone as being
at fault for the current situation,
Stubblefield thinks the “increase
in incidents” is because of that
disconnect.
Stubblefield thinks that coming
down harder on offenders would
improve the situation, “1 think that
when a student engaged in conduct
that was inappropriate, if something
immediately happened to that
student, something significant, word
would get around rather quickly. 1
think that would do more to deter
these incidents than anything else
would. 1 think the security staff is
doing the best they can do with
what they have.”
So, what is the problem on campus
this year? Is it the increase in the
number of students, or too few
security officers? And, who is trying
to fix the problem?
Last semester SGA secretary and
Chairperson for the newly formed
Security Concerns Committee
(SCC) Atasha Jackson hosted a
discussion in the Powers Recital
Hall of the Dunn Center to address
student concerns about campus
security. The administration was
represented by, Dean of Students
Peter Phaiah. Head of Campus
Security, Jackie Jones, represented
Securitas (Wesleyan’s Contract
Security Company).
Only a few students turned out to
voice their opinions about campus
safety; however, the points the
students in attendance put forward
echoed concerns addressed to the
Decree over the semester
The main concern seemed to be
that there were not enough Security
Officers on campus at the times
when they (the students) feel there
needs to be.
Addressing the number of officers
on duty, Phaiah said, “Securitas is
a sub-contractor, and they do what
we put together in a job description,
and they put enough people here
to do what we pay them to do.” He
also stated that have added another
officer this year to some shifts, “but
more security,” he pointed out,
“doesn’t mean that things will be
better They have a lot of turnover
so they have to constantly train
people, which diminishes their
ability. We are looking to add
another officer.”
See Safety pg. 4
NortIh CARoliNA WesLeyan CollEqE Rocky Mount, NortIh CaroIIna 27804