Connecticut College News

As recently as this semester, a policy change took place regarding Campus Safety´s presence in the dorms. Some upperclassmen may remember that Campus Safety used to be much less present in our living spaces, the college dormitories. Yet, at the beginning of the fall semester, Campus Safety seemed to be almost omnipresent, especially in JA, Freeman and Johnson. After listening to many students´ complaints, Campus Safety is no longer actively patrolling the dorms. Instead, they will only be present on the first floors and active when called. Director of Campus Safety, Stewart Smith, noted that Campus Safety wanted to put the emphasis back on being out and around where students congregate rather than being a "disconcerting presence" in the dormitories. This change is not the only a reaction to students´ grievances. According to Campus Safety, they are "working more on customer relations" and "working on a more friendly bond with the students rather than policing." Stewart Smith, Director of Campus Safety is looking to work towards a mutual bond with the students. The policy change is a step towards striving to get students to know Campus Safety outside of "something bad going on" and to get Campus Safety to know the students outside of their sometimes-imperfect actions. Campus Safety is not present to simply police, be a judicial force, or "make students´ lives miserable" at Connecticut College. The recent changes emphasize Campus Safety´s multitude of purposes - to assist, assure student´s safety, and create a positive bond between the students and officers. But not everyone is happy with the changes. Campus Safety´s reduced role in the dorms does not mean a lack of disciplinary presence within the residence halls, rather just a change of that presence. Filling the void are floor governors and housefellows. "If I remember correctly," Neil Jones, Housefellow of Freeman said, "the contract we signed last March didn´t include anything about doing the majority of lock-outs or being the first in command for discipline within the residence hall." He continued: "I am not here to complain, just to question, when the amicable phrase ´housefellow´ will be dropped in favor for the increasingly fitting term ´RA´". Reaction amongst the residents of the houses varied. "I wish this policy was around when I was a freshman," one student wrote in response to a posting on ConnColl Confessional regarding the new policy. Another student posting anonymously wrote, "The only issue [with the new policy] is with people who are too uncomfortable with themselves or too inconsiderate to warn those being loud, or talk to their [h]ousefellow and, instead, bitterly call campus safety right off the bat." Time will only tell how students respond to the lack of authoritarian discipline, but Jones felt the transition was too abrupt. "Going from one extreme to another is never a smart idea. I am not about to try and [give] a full scale explanation about what I think needs to be done, but certainly, changes need to be made." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To The Editor, First, please accept my congratulations on the quality of The Voice. You have made a tremendous amount of progress this year, and it has been a pleasure working with your editors and writers on various stories throughout the year. After reading the most recent article, I would like to clarify a few points about the new campus safety policy as it relates to residence hall patrols. It has always been policy to patrol student residences, as well as all other buildings and grounds on campus. This policy, as it has applied throughout my nearly 20 years with the College, has been to patrol and check all first-floor access points to all dorms, and to check all common areas. In the recent past, this was extended to include regular patrols of upper hallways in the residences. Feedback from students suggested that they found this intrusive and unnecessary, given the College´s recent implementation of the Floor Governor position to aid the Housefellows in the residences. In consultation with the College administration, it was determined that regular patrols of upper floors would be discontinued. It should be noted, however, that this does not mean that Campus Safety will not be on these floors, as we will continue to respond to all calls for assistance from residents, as well as investigate any safety concerns noted by Campus Safety officers. First and foremost, our number one priority is the safety of our students, and I believe the Campus Safety department and the College have made great strides this year in making this an even safer campus. Some of these measures include installing a new card swipe access system for all residences, restructuring Campus Safety shifts to allow more coverage during critical hours, and designating an officer to conduct a comprehensive follow up of all investigations, which has resulted in the solving of recent thefts. Working with Student Life and the SGA we continue to educate students about the importance of securing their valuables at all times. We have made progress in advancing the safety of our community. I look forward to continuing to work with the students and Student Life on this. Sincerely, Steward A. Smith Director, Campus Safety

For media inquiries, please contact:
Amy Martin, 860-439-2526, a.martin@conncoll.edu or Deborah MacDonnell (860) 439-2504, dmacdonn@conncoll.edu