Campus Council originally intended to meet Thursday night to address a resolution regarding housekeeping in residential halls. But amid reports of sexual violence this past weekend, the student legislators decided they would devote their session to a discussion of campus safety.
After the heated discussion, members came to the conclusion that they would pursue a number of policy objectives, including, among other initiatives: quicker distribution of information in the future should another assault occur, increased checking of identification by campus security forces and more safety education for undergraduates.
Campus Council President Anthony Vitarelli heavily stressed the importance of immediate alerts from University leadership, citing the widespread confusion that unfolded as a result of administrators delaying their official announcement of the crimes until late Tuesday afternoon. "I think there was a serious failure on the part of [the Office of Student Affairs] to disseminate information in a timely way," he said.
Assistant Dean of Residence Life Deb LoBiondo sympathized with Vitarelli's sentiments.
"They wanted to make sure the information they put out was accurate, but the information they shared with students could have and should have been shared immediately--if not Saturday night, then at least Sunday morning," she said.
Some of the female legislators were extremely upset with how administrators handled this situation, asserting that the longer the information is withheld, the more student safety is compromised.
"If a woman gets assaulted by a man she doesn't know, I want to know where to be [more cautious]," said Anne Browning, Kilgo Quadrangle representative.
LoBiondo added that a change in policy would likely occur in the near future to prevent such a delay from ever happening again. The typical practice has been to notify the media and news outlets before the student body, but LoBiondo said that Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta will change the policy to ensure in the future that students are the first to know.
As policies change and student awareness peaks, some council members expressed regret that it required the rueful events of this past weekend to inspire in the university community such an intense devotion to security.
"It's scary that it takes a really serious incident like this to say something about it," said Sarah Freeman, an at-large member of the council. "Security has always been an issue [for administrators], but it was never a priority until this [past] weekend."
East Campus Council Chair Joel Kliksberg tempered Freeman's estimation of administrators' ambitions.
"I think we're a long way from where we could be [in terms of security], but I think administrators have made some significant improvements," he said.
LoBiondo agreed that much work still needs to be done, but she enumerated a number of improvements that University officials have made to improve safety, such as increasing lighting around residence halls, trimming bushes, multiplying the number of emergency phones on campus and hiring more patrol officers to secure the campus.
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