I see in the police log that a Goodnow resident was picked up on an outstanding warrant for marijuana possession. Also in the crime log, from Moore Hall:
MOORE HALL RLC RICK REPORTED THE SMELL OF MARIJUANA IN FRONT OF MOORE HALL. 150 RESPONDED AND DID NOT LOCATE ANY MARIJUANA SMELL IN THE AREA.
From a journal for college administrators I found on the Web:
“Students in the residence halls are burning popcorn and setting off the fire alarms in the campus residence halls to cover the smell of the pot they smoke,” said UC resident assistant, randon Ubanks (the now infamous Ubi from the summer’s role play exercise). “We thought is was a ‘UC problem’ until we went to a statewide student affairs conference and learned that students on other West Virginia campuses were also burning popcorn to cover the smell of narijuana in the residence halls,” said one of UC’s professional residence life staff members.
Residence halls should have no tolerance for marijuana, though the problem is widespread.
The same journal from 2004, said this:
Furthermore, 34 percent of students at the University of Colorado said they used marijuana within the month, compared with 15.7 percent nationwide. At Colorado State University, 25 percent said they used pot during the last month. In addition, the use of other illicit drugs, including heroin, amphetamines and hallucinogens, increased by nearly 21 percent among Colorado College students.
And this:
Approximately 98% of students who use marijuana also binge drink or use other illicit substances. Nationwide figures for marijuana use among college students have increased by over 5-10% from 1993 to 2001. Source: Harvard School of Public Health (researched online, March 2004) A study of college students has shown that skills related to attention, memory,
and learning are impaired among people who use marijuana heavily, even after discontinuing its use for at least 24 hours. Source: Drug Enforcement Agency (researched online, March 2004)
Friday, March 30, 2007
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Fair warning
There appears to be a brewing debate about whether K-State should sign a basketball recruit because of his background. Can K-State afford the liability if this sharpshooter goes astray? Which coed dorm will Tim Weiser put this student athlete?
From a Web search:
Redefining the Contours of University Liability: The Potential Implications of Nero v. Kansas State University, 90 EDUC. L. REP. 989 (1994) (criticizing a Kansas Supreme Court decision, Nero v. Kansas State University, 861 P.2d 768 (Kan. 1993), that found a university liable for failure to protect one student from criminal assault by another student, when the attacker had a criminal juvenile record). Some states, such as California allow for disclosure of certain juvenile records to secondary schools “to protect potentially vulnerable school staff and other students.” Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 827(b)(1).
From a Web search:
Redefining the Contours of University Liability: The Potential Implications of Nero v. Kansas State University, 90 EDUC. L. REP. 989 (1994) (criticizing a Kansas Supreme Court decision, Nero v. Kansas State University, 861 P.2d 768 (Kan. 1993), that found a university liable for failure to protect one student from criminal assault by another student, when the attacker had a criminal juvenile record). Some states, such as California allow for disclosure of certain juvenile records to secondary schools “to protect potentially vulnerable school staff and other students.” Cal. Welf. & Inst. Code § 827(b)(1).
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Katy prop the door
From today's police log:
SECURITY ALARM ACTIVATED AT ROOM 101 BLUEMONT. OFFICER STATED THE LOWER DOOR
WAS PROPPED OPEN WITH A TRASH CAN. OFFICER SECURED DOOR AND RESET ALARM.
As tempting as it is, propping the door open to any campus building is inviting crime on people or property.
SECURITY ALARM ACTIVATED AT ROOM 101 BLUEMONT. OFFICER STATED THE LOWER DOOR
WAS PROPPED OPEN WITH A TRASH CAN. OFFICER SECURED DOOR AND RESET ALARM.
As tempting as it is, propping the door open to any campus building is inviting crime on people or property.
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Liquor law enforcement
Drunk people commit more crimes and drunk people are more often victims of crime. Is K-State doing enough to combat underage drinking at residence halls?
Here is a clip from a story from the University of Maryland that talks about that school's surge in enforcement of minimum age drinking laws.
The rate of liquor law violations served to students on the campus jumped by more than 31 percent in 2005 as part of what police describe as single-year crackdown on underage drinking, police statistics show.The surge in police activity aimed at busting student drinkers made this university the most statistically likely institution in the University System of Maryland for students to get pinched for drinking-related offenses. Frostburg State and Salisbury State, with rates of 28 and 23.5 students per thousand who received liquor law citations respectively, had the next highest proportion. The rate at this university was 38 students per thousand.University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell said the increased enforcement was due in part to belief among police brass that more citations reduce the likelihood of other types of crimes. She also said police had traditionally received grant money to increase enforcement among students."People who are more drunk are more likely to be victims of crime, and people who are more drunk tend to commit more crimes," Atwell said. "If I issue someone a citation for alcohol, they aren't going to want to stay out later."It was unclear, however, why the increase had come in 2005. Atwell said beginning in 1993, state, local and federal grants enabled University Police to dedicate more resources to combating crime, including liquor law violations, but that money dried up in 2004. In 2006, the university provided funding for six more officers, which Atwell expects to have kept the citation rate the same last year as it was in 2005.Police have not published and declined to release statistics for 2006. The 2005 statistics were released as part of an annual review conducted by the University System of Maryland's governing body, the Board of Regents.Experts have said enforcement should be part of - but not the only - measure university officials take in combating crime on the campus.
Here is a clip from a story from the University of Maryland that talks about that school's surge in enforcement of minimum age drinking laws.
The rate of liquor law violations served to students on the campus jumped by more than 31 percent in 2005 as part of what police describe as single-year crackdown on underage drinking, police statistics show.The surge in police activity aimed at busting student drinkers made this university the most statistically likely institution in the University System of Maryland for students to get pinched for drinking-related offenses. Frostburg State and Salisbury State, with rates of 28 and 23.5 students per thousand who received liquor law citations respectively, had the next highest proportion. The rate at this university was 38 students per thousand.University Police spokeswoman Maj. Cathy Atwell said the increased enforcement was due in part to belief among police brass that more citations reduce the likelihood of other types of crimes. She also said police had traditionally received grant money to increase enforcement among students."People who are more drunk are more likely to be victims of crime, and people who are more drunk tend to commit more crimes," Atwell said. "If I issue someone a citation for alcohol, they aren't going to want to stay out later."It was unclear, however, why the increase had come in 2005. Atwell said beginning in 1993, state, local and federal grants enabled University Police to dedicate more resources to combating crime, including liquor law violations, but that money dried up in 2004. In 2006, the university provided funding for six more officers, which Atwell expects to have kept the citation rate the same last year as it was in 2005.Police have not published and declined to release statistics for 2006. The 2005 statistics were released as part of an annual review conducted by the University System of Maryland's governing body, the Board of Regents.Experts have said enforcement should be part of - but not the only - measure university officials take in combating crime on the campus.
Email blast about crime
Here is an interesting story about how one Administration lets its students know about crime on campus through email blasts. From George Washington University:
Following a string of highly publicized violent actions on or around campus, a student was allegedly assaulted in an alley near the State Plaza Hotel at 21st and E streets the Friday before spring break. University Police did notify students and staff about the incident through a blast e-mail. The alleged attack, however, raises serious questions about safety on campus, questions that must be answered by UPD and University officials.
Following a string of highly publicized violent actions on or around campus, a student was allegedly assaulted in an alley near the State Plaza Hotel at 21st and E streets the Friday before spring break. University Police did notify students and staff about the incident through a blast e-mail. The alleged attack, however, raises serious questions about safety on campus, questions that must be answered by UPD and University officials.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Looking for black sheep
This article from The Philadelphia Inquirer states many universities are becoming more selective in their admissions process. Where does K-State stand on this issue?
From the story:
Along with SAT scores and extra-curricular activities, college-bound students increasingly are being asked to divulge information that may not be so flattering: their arrest and discipline records.
Since late summer, the Common Application, a form used by about 300 institutions, has asked students and guidance counselors whether the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime or disciplined at school.
Kids with rocky pasts may not make it beyond 12th grade.
In an effort to weed out troublemakers before they hit campus, colleges with their own forms also are requiring prospective students to disclose behavioral black marks. More, including Temple, Rowan and Rutgers Universities, are contemplating it.
The University of Pennsylvania put its admissions policy under review after the discovery in January that a 25-year-old child molester taking graduate courses was commuting from his Bucks County prison cell. Saint Joseph's University will ask about applicants' misdeeds beginning next year.
"It's an issue that's exploding," said Timothy Mann, dean of student affairs at Babson College, who is writing his doctoral dissertation on the subject.
The debate over whether to screen and for what is contentious. Opponents cite privacy issues and the risk of penalizing offenders twice. Education encourages rehabilitation, argues the United States Student Association, the nation's largest student group.
"Are we now putting institutions of higher education in the position of dispensing post-judicial punishment?" Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers asked.
Offenders can still slip in. "No background check is foolproof," cautioned Stephanie Hughes, a professor at the University of Northern Kentucky and security expert who owns RiskAware, which runs background checks on college employees.
Federal law prevents most schools from releasing educational records - including disciplinary information - without a parental OK. Counselors can leave the questions blank, a spokesman for the Common Application said. And schools don't always know about the trouble students get into off campus.
Where Mark McGrath, president of the New Jersey School Counselor Association, works, the few kids who have had an incident tend to admit their wrongdoings.
"We try to put it in the best light we can" on the application, said McGrath, a counselor at Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, N.J. "We're the advocates for the child."
Access to more accurate information and increased expectations about college involvement in students' lives have spurred the trend toward preadmission screening, Mann said.
Though campus crime has not appreciably increased since 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Education, a few high-profile crimes committed by students with rap sheets have led institutions to reexamine their admissions process. The Common Application added its inquiries at the request of schools concerned about liability, executive director Rob Killion said.
Students are warned not to omit information. If they're caught lying, they're disqualified. Administrators believe most comply.
A single after-school detention or graffiti incident isn't what schools look for, anyway.
"We have 9,000 applications and there are eight counselors," said Matt Middleton, assistant director of admissions at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, where students are asked about suspensions and criminal convictions. (No one has copped to the latter.) "We're lucky if we can get more than five to 10 minutes with an application."
A "history of serious misbehavior" is what Villanova University looks for, said Stephen R. Merritt, dean of enrollment.
Several states have taken stricter measures. A new law criticized by privacy advocates forces Virginia colleges to reveal names and birth dates of incoming students so police can cross-check sex-offender lists. If there's a match, the school and local police are told and the offender has three days to register with authorities after moving to campus.
Virginia State Police Lt. Tom Turner said authorities expect to check 80,000 to 100,000 names annually.
In North Carolina, additional precautions have been implemented since students with rape and larceny convictions committed two unrelated murders at the state university in Wilmington in 2004.
In addition to being asked about their pasts, applicants to the University of North Carolina's 16 campuses are checked against a national database of suspended or expelled college students. Those who trigger suspicion are investigated, Leslie Winner, general counsel for the 200,000-student system, said. As a result, 84 applicants were denied entry last fall.
Schools generally ask for a letter of explanation and consult counselors and others when a problem is reported. Though juvenile records are sealed, colleges can run criminal background checks on those 18 or older.
"There's really no need for a university to take a risk," said Joan McDonald, vice president of enrollment at Drexel University, where no more than 10 applicants a year report misdeeds. Serious offenders aren't invited to join the school's 5,000 or so incoming freshmen.
Each school has its idea of a deal-breaking offense, Hughes, the owner of RiskAware, said. Even with murder, she advises not to jump to conclusions.
"What if they were defending themselves?" Hughes said.
"We look at it on a case-by-case basis," said Mark Lapreziosa, associate vice president of enrollment at Arcadia University, which uses the Common Application and which may revise its own form.
"We look for students showing growth or having learned" from their mistakes, he said.
So far only two students have disclosed arrests, one for drugs and the other theft. They never completed their applications, but options Arcadia considered were requiring them to live off-campus and to keep in close contact with administrators.
"If it was a crime of violence we would have to think seriously," Lapreziosa said.
Pennsylvania State University, which has asked students about their criminal pasts since 1991, received an application in 1999 from a man in his 30s who noted an assault conviction. That confession and information the school received from another source prompted an investigation that revealed more time served for manslaughter and sex crimes.
The man was arrested again - on a gun charge - while the background check was underway.
Even in less dramatic cases, the guidelines are obvious: You can't put the campus at risk, said Joe Puzycki, the school's senior director of judicial affairs. Penn State could not say how many students a year it rejects for security reasons.
Witold Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, worries that risk aversion may lead to overzealous enforcement. If getting arrested once was a consideration 35 years ago, he says, "an awful lot of people would never have gotten into college . . . maybe even presidents."
Last year, Justin Layshock got a 10-day suspension from his Hermitage, N.J., high school for creating an online parody of the principal. When he told Penn State, his application was put on hold, said Walczak, who is representing Layshock in a suit against his old school district.
Layshock let his application lapse after getting into a school where he applied pre-prank. With less luck, he could have lost out entirely, Walczak said.
Connie Clery would rather err on the side of caution. She founded Security on Campus after her 19-year-old daughter, Jeanne, was killed by a fellow student during a robbery at Lehigh University in 1986. The Jeanne Clery Act requires all colleges to disclose crime on and around their campuses.
"You never know who's going to be in the room next to you," said Clery, of Bryn Mawr, who has lobbied for background checks for everyone from faculty to students. "This is a violent culture and it extends onto all college campuses."
Something as benign as theft, the No. 1 campus crime, Clery said, can lead to violence, as it did in her daughter's case.
"If you lose one child, there's nothing in the world that can compensate for that and no way you can get over it if you're a parent," she said. "Why risk it?"
The Common App Rap Sheet
The Common Application, accepted at the following local colleges, requires students to detail all criminal convictions and serious school disciplinary actions.
Arcadia University
Bryn Mawr College
The College of New Jersey
Drexel University
Haverford College
Juniata College
Lafayette College
La Salle University
Lehigh University
University of Pennsylvania
Saint Joseph's University
Swarthmore College
Ursinus College
Villanova University
Source: www.commonapp.org
From the story:
Along with SAT scores and extra-curricular activities, college-bound students increasingly are being asked to divulge information that may not be so flattering: their arrest and discipline records.
Since late summer, the Common Application, a form used by about 300 institutions, has asked students and guidance counselors whether the applicant has ever been convicted of a crime or disciplined at school.
Kids with rocky pasts may not make it beyond 12th grade.
In an effort to weed out troublemakers before they hit campus, colleges with their own forms also are requiring prospective students to disclose behavioral black marks. More, including Temple, Rowan and Rutgers Universities, are contemplating it.
The University of Pennsylvania put its admissions policy under review after the discovery in January that a 25-year-old child molester taking graduate courses was commuting from his Bucks County prison cell. Saint Joseph's University will ask about applicants' misdeeds beginning next year.
"It's an issue that's exploding," said Timothy Mann, dean of student affairs at Babson College, who is writing his doctoral dissertation on the subject.
The debate over whether to screen and for what is contentious. Opponents cite privacy issues and the risk of penalizing offenders twice. Education encourages rehabilitation, argues the United States Student Association, the nation's largest student group.
"Are we now putting institutions of higher education in the position of dispensing post-judicial punishment?" Barmak Nassirian of the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers asked.
Offenders can still slip in. "No background check is foolproof," cautioned Stephanie Hughes, a professor at the University of Northern Kentucky and security expert who owns RiskAware, which runs background checks on college employees.
Federal law prevents most schools from releasing educational records - including disciplinary information - without a parental OK. Counselors can leave the questions blank, a spokesman for the Common Application said. And schools don't always know about the trouble students get into off campus.
Where Mark McGrath, president of the New Jersey School Counselor Association, works, the few kids who have had an incident tend to admit their wrongdoings.
"We try to put it in the best light we can" on the application, said McGrath, a counselor at Lawrence High School in Lawrenceville, N.J. "We're the advocates for the child."
Access to more accurate information and increased expectations about college involvement in students' lives have spurred the trend toward preadmission screening, Mann said.
Though campus crime has not appreciably increased since 2003, according to the U.S. Department of Education, a few high-profile crimes committed by students with rap sheets have led institutions to reexamine their admissions process. The Common Application added its inquiries at the request of schools concerned about liability, executive director Rob Killion said.
Students are warned not to omit information. If they're caught lying, they're disqualified. Administrators believe most comply.
A single after-school detention or graffiti incident isn't what schools look for, anyway.
"We have 9,000 applications and there are eight counselors," said Matt Middleton, assistant director of admissions at the College of New Jersey in Ewing, where students are asked about suspensions and criminal convictions. (No one has copped to the latter.) "We're lucky if we can get more than five to 10 minutes with an application."
A "history of serious misbehavior" is what Villanova University looks for, said Stephen R. Merritt, dean of enrollment.
Several states have taken stricter measures. A new law criticized by privacy advocates forces Virginia colleges to reveal names and birth dates of incoming students so police can cross-check sex-offender lists. If there's a match, the school and local police are told and the offender has three days to register with authorities after moving to campus.
Virginia State Police Lt. Tom Turner said authorities expect to check 80,000 to 100,000 names annually.
In North Carolina, additional precautions have been implemented since students with rape and larceny convictions committed two unrelated murders at the state university in Wilmington in 2004.
In addition to being asked about their pasts, applicants to the University of North Carolina's 16 campuses are checked against a national database of suspended or expelled college students. Those who trigger suspicion are investigated, Leslie Winner, general counsel for the 200,000-student system, said. As a result, 84 applicants were denied entry last fall.
Schools generally ask for a letter of explanation and consult counselors and others when a problem is reported. Though juvenile records are sealed, colleges can run criminal background checks on those 18 or older.
"There's really no need for a university to take a risk," said Joan McDonald, vice president of enrollment at Drexel University, where no more than 10 applicants a year report misdeeds. Serious offenders aren't invited to join the school's 5,000 or so incoming freshmen.
Each school has its idea of a deal-breaking offense, Hughes, the owner of RiskAware, said. Even with murder, she advises not to jump to conclusions.
"What if they were defending themselves?" Hughes said.
"We look at it on a case-by-case basis," said Mark Lapreziosa, associate vice president of enrollment at Arcadia University, which uses the Common Application and which may revise its own form.
"We look for students showing growth or having learned" from their mistakes, he said.
So far only two students have disclosed arrests, one for drugs and the other theft. They never completed their applications, but options Arcadia considered were requiring them to live off-campus and to keep in close contact with administrators.
"If it was a crime of violence we would have to think seriously," Lapreziosa said.
Pennsylvania State University, which has asked students about their criminal pasts since 1991, received an application in 1999 from a man in his 30s who noted an assault conviction. That confession and information the school received from another source prompted an investigation that revealed more time served for manslaughter and sex crimes.
The man was arrested again - on a gun charge - while the background check was underway.
Even in less dramatic cases, the guidelines are obvious: You can't put the campus at risk, said Joe Puzycki, the school's senior director of judicial affairs. Penn State could not say how many students a year it rejects for security reasons.
Witold Walczak, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, worries that risk aversion may lead to overzealous enforcement. If getting arrested once was a consideration 35 years ago, he says, "an awful lot of people would never have gotten into college . . . maybe even presidents."
Last year, Justin Layshock got a 10-day suspension from his Hermitage, N.J., high school for creating an online parody of the principal. When he told Penn State, his application was put on hold, said Walczak, who is representing Layshock in a suit against his old school district.
Layshock let his application lapse after getting into a school where he applied pre-prank. With less luck, he could have lost out entirely, Walczak said.
Connie Clery would rather err on the side of caution. She founded Security on Campus after her 19-year-old daughter, Jeanne, was killed by a fellow student during a robbery at Lehigh University in 1986. The Jeanne Clery Act requires all colleges to disclose crime on and around their campuses.
"You never know who's going to be in the room next to you," said Clery, of Bryn Mawr, who has lobbied for background checks for everyone from faculty to students. "This is a violent culture and it extends onto all college campuses."
Something as benign as theft, the No. 1 campus crime, Clery said, can lead to violence, as it did in her daughter's case.
"If you lose one child, there's nothing in the world that can compensate for that and no way you can get over it if you're a parent," she said. "Why risk it?"
The Common App Rap Sheet
The Common Application, accepted at the following local colleges, requires students to detail all criminal convictions and serious school disciplinary actions.
Arcadia University
Bryn Mawr College
The College of New Jersey
Drexel University
Haverford College
Juniata College
Lafayette College
La Salle University
Lehigh University
University of Pennsylvania
Saint Joseph's University
Swarthmore College
Ursinus College
Villanova University
Source: www.commonapp.org
Big apple or little?
March 23-26 police log
One residence hall reference over the weekend:
GOODNOW/DORM LOTS
report by goodnow staff of a subject pan-handling. Subject left area prior to officer arrival.
One residence hall reference over the weekend:
GOODNOW/DORM LOTS
report by goodnow staff of a subject pan-handling. Subject left area prior to officer arrival.
Wednesday, March 21, 2007
Police log March 16-19
Residence Hall reports
Boyd:
RP REPORTED IPOD STOLEN FROM HER DORM ROOM.
BURGLARY/THEFT REPORT FILED
Moore:
SUBJECT CALLED FROM MOORE HALL TO REPORT THAT DURING ROOM CHECKS THEY FOUND A SPEED LIMIT SIGN. THEY ASKED THAT A OFFICER COME GET IT. OFFICER CONFENSCATED THE SIGN
Boyd:
RP REPORTED IPOD STOLEN FROM HER DORM ROOM.
BURGLARY/THEFT REPORT FILED
Moore:
SUBJECT CALLED FROM MOORE HALL TO REPORT THAT DURING ROOM CHECKS THEY FOUND A SPEED LIMIT SIGN. THEY ASKED THAT A OFFICER COME GET IT. OFFICER CONFENSCATED THE SIGN
Sunday, March 18, 2007
It has been a while
But I'm back. Last time you didn't read me (this site has darned few visitors) I was expressing my disappointment in K-State's accountability to its students (particularly one) relating to a middle of the night attack in Goodnow Hall. I asked the University to cover unpaid education and medical bills. K-State declined, failing to see my argument that they were liable in this case by letting the assailant into the residence hall.
I've been researching a previous case relating to residence hall security, from 1993: Nero vs. Kansas State University.
This is from a recent paper from the University of Georgia on institutional liability relating to sexual crimes by student athletes.
From Institutional Liability for the Sexual Crimes of Student-Athletes:
A Review of Case Law and Policy Recommendations
Joy Blanchard
Courts also have held universities liable for a duty of care assumed through the campus housing contract vis à vis landlord-tenant relationship.73 In Mullins v. Pine Manor College74, a court rejected an institution’s in loco parentis immunity claims and held that the institution was negligent in failing to provide security when a resident was abducted by an intruder. Further, in Nero v. Kansas State University,75 a court found the University liable for a student’s assault because administrators failed for to notify her of the foreseeable danger created when an accused rapist was assigned to her coed residence hall.76
While it can said that universities have given more responsibility to students over the years, the university can't be negligent about its core duty for security at residence halls. Unfortunately, it has proven negligent in the past. I believe it is negligent now, 14 years later.
I've been researching a previous case relating to residence hall security, from 1993: Nero vs. Kansas State University.
This is from a recent paper from the University of Georgia on institutional liability relating to sexual crimes by student athletes.
From Institutional Liability for the Sexual Crimes of Student-Athletes:
A Review of Case Law and Policy Recommendations
Joy Blanchard
Courts also have held universities liable for a duty of care assumed through the campus housing contract vis à vis landlord-tenant relationship.73 In Mullins v. Pine Manor College74, a court rejected an institution’s in loco parentis immunity claims and held that the institution was negligent in failing to provide security when a resident was abducted by an intruder. Further, in Nero v. Kansas State University,75 a court found the University liable for a student’s assault because administrators failed for to notify her of the foreseeable danger created when an accused rapist was assigned to her coed residence hall.76
While it can said that universities have given more responsibility to students over the years, the university can't be negligent about its core duty for security at residence halls. Unfortunately, it has proven negligent in the past. I believe it is negligent now, 14 years later.
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Thief
From the March 5 police log:
21:07 21:09 21:34 BURGLARY P D07002007 P07000165 115
MOORE HALL
RESIDENT ADVISOR CALLED REQUESTING AN OFFICER COME SPEAK WITH A STUDENT REGARDING THE THEFT OF $300. BURGLARY/THEFT REPORT FILED.
Again, could this have been prevented with more secure after hours access?
21:07 21:09 21:34 BURGLARY P D07002007 P07000165 115
MOORE HALL
RESIDENT ADVISOR CALLED REQUESTING AN OFFICER COME SPEAK WITH A STUDENT REGARDING THE THEFT OF $300. BURGLARY/THEFT REPORT FILED.
Again, could this have been prevented with more secure after hours access?
Monday, March 5, 2007
Dead Week - # 1 Issue
I see the Collegian poll rates "instituting a true dead week" as the number one campus concern, with 23% of students most concerned about that issue in the KSU student body president race.
Residence hall security not even listed - yet.
Residence hall security not even listed - yet.
What was considered
Last summer K-State's Security Review Committee looked at the following processes and compared them with 12 peer institutions.
1. Kansas State University Annual Security Report (Cleary Report) Campus security statistics both K-State's and their peers the last three years.
2. Educational benchmarking student safety satisfaction survey. This survey gathers feedback from our residence hall students and then benchmarks K-State against the other 256 institutions that administer the same survey
3. Hall access - both hardware and staffing practices
4. Student room door access
5. In room security measures
6. Small item thefts - computers, Ipods, cameras, etc., registration by campus police, similar to bike registration
6. Security cameras
7. Educational programs and material for students and their families
8. Outside lighting
Here are the recommendations that were approved last summer by the security committee.
From what I can tell, the security committee did not recommend security cameras for the residence halls. They have changed hall access significantly.
Here is one school that decided to install security cameras at their dorm entrances and their reasons for doing so. In fact, type in security cameras and residence halls in a Google search and you will see how widely they are employed. K-State should take this opportunity - significant change to its security systems - to install security cameras at the entrances and main lobby of the dorms. This is not only for the safety of the residents by also the community assistants that work the desk and who will be asked to regulate hall access.
1. Kansas State University Annual Security Report (Cleary Report) Campus security statistics both K-State's and their peers the last three years.
2. Educational benchmarking student safety satisfaction survey. This survey gathers feedback from our residence hall students and then benchmarks K-State against the other 256 institutions that administer the same survey
3. Hall access - both hardware and staffing practices
4. Student room door access
5. In room security measures
6. Small item thefts - computers, Ipods, cameras, etc., registration by campus police, similar to bike registration
6. Security cameras
7. Educational programs and material for students and their families
8. Outside lighting
Here are the recommendations that were approved last summer by the security committee.
From what I can tell, the security committee did not recommend security cameras for the residence halls. They have changed hall access significantly.
Here is one school that decided to install security cameras at their dorm entrances and their reasons for doing so. In fact, type in security cameras and residence halls in a Google search and you will see how widely they are employed. K-State should take this opportunity - significant change to its security systems - to install security cameras at the entrances and main lobby of the dorms. This is not only for the safety of the residents by also the community assistants that work the desk and who will be asked to regulate hall access.
RA, PhD?
Here is a story about the latest trend of faculty living with students at some dorms.
From the AP story:
When John Richardson wanted to avoid a lengthy commute to American University's campus, renting a nearby apartment just wouldn't do.
Instead, the easygoing 68-year-old professor decided to settle into a sprawling dormitory teeming with hundreds of students. It's not as unusual as it sounds: These days, catching sight of your professor on the way to the shower happens all the time.
Educators say a growing number of faculty are moving into dorms as colleges seek to revitalize campus life and shift away from the utilitarian, high-rise halls that sprouted when enrollment soared in the 1960s.
"There's been a separation between the culture of academic life and the culture of campus life," said Richardson, who suggested moving into a dorm after students complained that interaction with faculty was lacking outside the classroom.
There wasn't much structure to Richardson's living arrangement when he first moved into his one-bedroom suite in Anderson Hall about four years ago, said Gail Hanson, the university's vice president of campus life. The plan was to have him take it all in and see what happened.
Today, Richardson can be found handing out candy from a giant plastic bowl with a blinking red light attached as he greets bleary-eyed students during dozens of middle-of-the-night fire alarms. The well-traveled culinary enthusiast also prepares a buffet-style dinner for students a couple of nights each month, serving up Peking duck, Sri Lankan curry and Moroccan lamb.
"It kind of feels like you have a grandfather or an uncle living with you," said Aimee Malin, 20, a senior.
From the AP story:
When John Richardson wanted to avoid a lengthy commute to American University's campus, renting a nearby apartment just wouldn't do.
Instead, the easygoing 68-year-old professor decided to settle into a sprawling dormitory teeming with hundreds of students. It's not as unusual as it sounds: These days, catching sight of your professor on the way to the shower happens all the time.
Educators say a growing number of faculty are moving into dorms as colleges seek to revitalize campus life and shift away from the utilitarian, high-rise halls that sprouted when enrollment soared in the 1960s.
"There's been a separation between the culture of academic life and the culture of campus life," said Richardson, who suggested moving into a dorm after students complained that interaction with faculty was lacking outside the classroom.
There wasn't much structure to Richardson's living arrangement when he first moved into his one-bedroom suite in Anderson Hall about four years ago, said Gail Hanson, the university's vice president of campus life. The plan was to have him take it all in and see what happened.
Today, Richardson can be found handing out candy from a giant plastic bowl with a blinking red light attached as he greets bleary-eyed students during dozens of middle-of-the-night fire alarms. The well-traveled culinary enthusiast also prepares a buffet-style dinner for students a couple of nights each month, serving up Peking duck, Sri Lankan curry and Moroccan lamb.
"It kind of feels like you have a grandfather or an uncle living with you," said Aimee Malin, 20, a senior.
3:45 A.M.
From the police log on March 4:
RECIEVED A CALL FROM MOORE HALL. RP STATED THAT THERE WERE A BUNCH OF DRUNK GUYS ON THE 7TH FLOOR ACTING CRAZY. SENT OFFICERS OUT, BUT EVERYONE HAD LEFT THE AREA.
A good argument for both better after hours residence hall security and sobriety.
RECIEVED A CALL FROM MOORE HALL. RP STATED THAT THERE WERE A BUNCH OF DRUNK GUYS ON THE 7TH FLOOR ACTING CRAZY. SENT OFFICERS OUT, BUT EVERYONE HAD LEFT THE AREA.
A good argument for both better after hours residence hall security and sobriety.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
Huggie Bear
Whenever I think that I haven't been quite as generous as I should be when it comes to K-State's performance relating to campus security or customer service(described in earlier posts), I think of Bob Huggins and his tough love for K-State students.
After the game today, Huggie Bear said that he appreciated all 37 students that came to every game - and to remember to bring back 2,000 of their closest friends next year. I love Huggins as much as the next guy, but come on, lay off the students for once. But I give him a partial pass because what he said was true; only 37 students did go to every game!
If the well-rewarded Huggins can be hard on K-State students for failing to show up during Christmas break against Cleveland State, I will show tough love toward K-State for failing to implement needed security changes at residence halls, and then falling down in accountability, leadership and customer service.
After the game today, Huggie Bear said that he appreciated all 37 students that came to every game - and to remember to bring back 2,000 of their closest friends next year. I love Huggins as much as the next guy, but come on, lay off the students for once. But I give him a partial pass because what he said was true; only 37 students did go to every game!
If the well-rewarded Huggins can be hard on K-State students for failing to show up during Christmas break against Cleveland State, I will show tough love toward K-State for failing to implement needed security changes at residence halls, and then falling down in accountability, leadership and customer service.
A suggestion
One thing the Collegian could do as a service to students is to publish K-State's daily police/crime log. I've noted that other student newspapers have done this, such as this example. I'm sure it would be well-read.
Sordid tales of campus crime
That's the name of this student written piece from the University of Colorado at Denver, but it could have been anywhere. It reflects the truth that no matter how feel-good the KSU experience is, there are thieves among us. And who hasn't felt the premonition of dread when racing off to the bathroom and leaving a laptop unattended?
Here is an excerpt:
Took my eye off of it for a second
Between 12:00 p.m. and 12:45 p.m., on Wednesday Feb. 14, a Metro student had his possessions stolen. On the first floor of the Library, near the circulation section, a student had his LG Chocolate Verizon phone and his TI-83 graphing calculator stolen. The total estimated value of his possessions is $450.It looks like there are thieves amongst us, waiting for the moment we're not paying attention to rob us blind. Be careful of what you are leaving in the open, if you have expensive gadgets or items, try not to leave them out in the open. Try to find carry bags or other means of storing your expensive or important things, so you can take them with you, and not have to set them down.
I thought the bookstore robbed us
On Feb. 14, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., a silver Motorola Razr phone was stolen from the Auraria Campus Bookstore. An employee of the bookstore reported his cell phone stolen. He had left it in an office, but the door was not locked and the public may have had access to office. Important things to remember: if you have an expensive, important device, please write down its important information, like serial number, make and model. As much as I feel like the bookstore robs me every semester, I know it's not the employee's fault and don't wish them ill will...or stolen cell phones.
New fashion on campus: Depends
On Feb. 12, a student was robbed in South Classroom 126. She reported a Jansport backpack, textbooks and a scandisk flashdrive stolen. The total estimated value of the items lost is $195. She left her things in the classroom while she went to use the restroom. Upon returning, her things were gone. I believe that what she did was a common occurrence on campus, I have seen many people leave their things inside the classroom before using the restroom. We all know, especially this time of year when it's cold outside, how difficult it is to use the restroom all bundled up and loaded with school gear. Looks like we need to institute the buddy system, no one goes to the restroom without their buddy watching their things.
Here is an excerpt:
Took my eye off of it for a second
Between 12:00 p.m. and 12:45 p.m., on Wednesday Feb. 14, a Metro student had his possessions stolen. On the first floor of the Library, near the circulation section, a student had his LG Chocolate Verizon phone and his TI-83 graphing calculator stolen. The total estimated value of his possessions is $450.It looks like there are thieves amongst us, waiting for the moment we're not paying attention to rob us blind. Be careful of what you are leaving in the open, if you have expensive gadgets or items, try not to leave them out in the open. Try to find carry bags or other means of storing your expensive or important things, so you can take them with you, and not have to set them down.
I thought the bookstore robbed us
On Feb. 14, between 3:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m., a silver Motorola Razr phone was stolen from the Auraria Campus Bookstore. An employee of the bookstore reported his cell phone stolen. He had left it in an office, but the door was not locked and the public may have had access to office. Important things to remember: if you have an expensive, important device, please write down its important information, like serial number, make and model. As much as I feel like the bookstore robs me every semester, I know it's not the employee's fault and don't wish them ill will...or stolen cell phones.
New fashion on campus: Depends
On Feb. 12, a student was robbed in South Classroom 126. She reported a Jansport backpack, textbooks and a scandisk flashdrive stolen. The total estimated value of the items lost is $195. She left her things in the classroom while she went to use the restroom. Upon returning, her things were gone. I believe that what she did was a common occurrence on campus, I have seen many people leave their things inside the classroom before using the restroom. We all know, especially this time of year when it's cold outside, how difficult it is to use the restroom all bundled up and loaded with school gear. Looks like we need to institute the buddy system, no one goes to the restroom without their buddy watching their things.
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