Each year there are 696,000 alcohol related assaults and 30,000 burglaries on college campuses. We are lucky at OSU to have the safest campus in the Big 12, but this has taken a lot of work and money. To maintain this distinction we must be proactive to prevent crime in the future.
Last year Illinois Senators Dick Durbin and Barack Obama presented a bill to the U.S. Congress called the Campus Law Enforcement Emergency Response Act.
The act requires all colleges to have system that notifies students of emergencies. OSU has been diligent about implementing this kind of system in the form of text messages. During the debates, attention was brought the use of electronic devices to increase the safety of campuses.
We use the Blue Light system, but some of them don’t work. When you push the button, there is a wait time before anyone responds. Then, you have to explain your situation. What if you are being assaulted, raped or mugged? Would you even be able to get to it in an emergency?
The solution can be found in a tiny keychain device. Secure System Inc. distributes a product call a “Personal Alarm Locator” or a “PAL.” This system is used at University of Texas and University of Bridgeport. UB has the safest campus in the nation according to the U.S. Department of Education. The lure of the safest campus has increased their enrollment.
There are incredible stories all across the nation where students have credited the PAL with saving their lives — from muggings to a guy in Florida who went into diabetic shock. At UT, a girl was assaulted in her dorm room. She activated her PAL and the Campus Police broke down her door and saved her. The rape that happened in Bennett earlier this year might have been prevented if OSU had PAL on campus.
Paul Rafferty, of Secure System, believes that the PAL could have saved students in the Virginia Tech massacre.
In any emergency you would simply activate the noiseless and discrete PAL. The campus police would instantly see your picture, medical information and exact location. However, unlike Big Brother- you can only be seen if you activate it. This would be the only option in a situation where cell phones don’t work.
The only argument is the cost. Covering OSU’s 415 acres (or a slightly larger area including Greek Housing) would be an estimated $25 to $50 a semester per student or just over $2 per credit hour. We are paying a higher fee for the Blue Light System. A recommendation for this system will be heard in SGA tonight.
Abraham Maslow said, “Give people affection and security and they will give affection and be secure in their feelings and their behavior.” Let’s make OSU a better place through making the campus even safer.
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