The administration has been very responsive to threats on campus — that’s part of the problem. With the recurring armed robberies and thefts the last few years, Duke should enact preemptive controls to better protect the community. While responsive policies such as increasing security and lighting are appropriate, the administration needs to acknowledge the risks facing students and work to mitigate them.
In the last seven months, multiple students have been robbed at gunpoint on central campus. Through the first few weeks of class, there have been a series of thefts in Few and Keohane Quads. And these are just the latest in a trend of late-night robberies that span from East Campus to the Duke Gardens.
The only sure way to guarantee students’ safety is to have security guards swarm the campus at night, which is financially unrealistic and ultimately unnecessary. There are easier and more affordable ways to minimize students’ risk and significantly increase the chance of apprehending offenders. The administration should reevaluate how security guards are dispersed throughout the university to minimize overlap in the distribution of security resources. Furthermore, there should be an increased security presence at the most at-risk parts of campus including central campus and the east campus perimeter.
While Duke has been rightfully hesitant to install security cameras on campus due to privacy concerns and to maintain a campus atmosphere, it’s time for the administration to recognize the benefits of security cameras placed with prudence and restraint. Students’ privacy and security can be maintained through restrictive policies limiting access to camera feeds so that they’re only viewed in response to reported incidents. For example, by strategically placing fewer than ten security cameras at intersections around central campus, the university could monitor all vehicular traffic onto central campus. The administration would also be wise to install a handful of cameras around the perimeter of the Duke Gardens.
While the administration should remind students to remain cognizant of their surroundings and avoid unnecessary risks, a certain graduation requirement will lead many students to disregard warnings against entering the Duke Gardens after hours. The cameras would help apprehend criminals and deter potential thieves from robbing these students.
The university has already shown that its policy against security cameras is anything but absolute. The new Rubenstein Library contains dozens of security cameras — with rare and valuable books already locked behind doors, the closest thing to a valuable book these cameras monitor is an economics textbook.
Despite the added security that cameras provide, they should never be in residence halls, as it would be an extreme invasion of students’ privacy. In residence halls, the administration’s go-to solution of increasing security is also not an option. Nonetheless, the administration can do a better job of deterring theft in dorms.
There are always a handful of students who take advantage of others' trust in the community and the vague penalties for theft. The administration should set mandatory punishments for on-campus theft — I recommend at least a semester suspension. While the financial losses from theft are generally small, the disruption to campus peace justifies such a strong penalty to sufficiently deter even the most irrational of kleptomaniacs from giving in to their urges.
Most importantly, the penalty for theft should be clearly stated in all emails sent to students regarding on-campus theft. The administration needs to make clear that theft in dorms is taken seriously by enacting severe penalties and doing a better job of apprehending offenders. The current response to theft is so pathetic that it practically incentivizes it, with the administration doing nothing more than offering up a meek "sorry" to victims followed up with a $95 bill for a lock change.
Once I graduate, I hope that I can fail to do my job and then invoice people for the troubles I’ve caused. If this approach is ineffective in the workplace, perhaps I can get a job within the Duke administration where this mindset is welcomed with open arms.
The administration needs to realize that there are more than responsive measures to combat theft. Through clear penalties and increased preventative measures such as cameras, the university can deter crime against students.
Hopefully the administration will heed students’ safety concerns. It seems more likely, though, that the administration will just brush off crime against students as unavoidable. While true to an extent, the reality of crime doesn’t justify their lack of effort to minimize risk to students. Students should never have to be afraid on campus, let alone in their dorm rooms. Until the administration recognizes this, though, the status quo will persist.
Justin Koritzinsky is a Trinity junior. His column runs on alternate Tuesdays.
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