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Editorial: Safety project looks good, but still needs funding
Staff Editorial
Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Opinions
Walking across campus at night can be unnerving at times.
Who knows what could lie beyond each dark corner?
What if someone is attacked? What if the emergency response stations are too far out of reach?
At last week's Student Senate meeting, senate member Mike Whildin spearheaded a campaign for a service to assist people crossing campus at night.
Whildin said he was approached by students who requested a service similar to those at schools across the nation, including several Illinois universities like Northern Illinois, Western Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois at Chicago.
Texas State offered the best model for the service, Whildin said, using golf carts for student workers to get around.
The proposed project would consist of several paid student workers who would respond to calls from students who feel uncomfortable walking across campus at night.
According to Whildin, one or two volunteers would meet with the student and escort him to his residence.
Sounds like a good deal.
The only problem is financing the project.
Whildin said radios could be given to student workers to keep in contact with each other, and possibly with night assistants and the University Police.
The money would also go into background checks of every student worker.
Of course, this will take a lot of money, a roadblock Whildin acknowledged.
Currently, Whildin said, Student Government is working with the University Police and Dan Nadler, vice president of student affairs, on ironing out fine details such as sponsorship of the program and golf carts, though the latter isn't high on the list of priorities.
According to Whildin, money will be allocated toward the project when it is available, but cited tough economic times to the lack of funding.
The idea looks good on paper, but until money opens up for the project, that's all it is: an idea.
Students should feel comfortable trying to get from one point to another, which Whildin said is the primary goal of the project.
This project should be implemented if the university can find the funding for this project, and then students won't have to feel threatened again.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
Who knows what could lie beyond each dark corner?
What if someone is attacked? What if the emergency response stations are too far out of reach?
At last week's Student Senate meeting, senate member Mike Whildin spearheaded a campaign for a service to assist people crossing campus at night.
Whildin said he was approached by students who requested a service similar to those at schools across the nation, including several Illinois universities like Northern Illinois, Western Illinois, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of Illinois at Chicago.
Texas State offered the best model for the service, Whildin said, using golf carts for student workers to get around.
The proposed project would consist of several paid student workers who would respond to calls from students who feel uncomfortable walking across campus at night.
According to Whildin, one or two volunteers would meet with the student and escort him to his residence.
Sounds like a good deal.
The only problem is financing the project.
Whildin said radios could be given to student workers to keep in contact with each other, and possibly with night assistants and the University Police.
The money would also go into background checks of every student worker.
Of course, this will take a lot of money, a roadblock Whildin acknowledged.
Currently, Whildin said, Student Government is working with the University Police and Dan Nadler, vice president of student affairs, on ironing out fine details such as sponsorship of the program and golf carts, though the latter isn't high on the list of priorities.
According to Whildin, money will be allocated toward the project when it is available, but cited tough economic times to the lack of funding.
The idea looks good on paper, but until money opens up for the project, that's all it is: an idea.
Students should feel comfortable trying to get from one point to another, which Whildin said is the primary goal of the project.
This project should be implemented if the university can find the funding for this project, and then students won't have to feel threatened again.
The editorial is the majority opinion of The DEN editorial board. Reach the opinions editor at: DENopinions@gmail.com.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Miley
posted 4/23/09 @ 11:55 AM CST
Maybe I am wrong but I am pretty sure UPD will escort people to their cars or what not if they feel threatened or uncomfortable.
Also, EIU is one of the safest campuses in the state, no matter what student government tries to say for their own pet projects. (Continued…)
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