Group talks options for housing security

Campus Council members considered the possibility of Duke police checking dormitories for unlocked doors at their weekly meeting Thursday.

The consideration came as a result of numerous reported room thefts in the past months. Twenty-four cases have been reported in the past six months-15 on East Campus and 9 from West Campus-and in every situation student rooms were unlocked, said Joe Gonzalez, associate dean of residential life. Duke University Police Department officials have already started patrolling dorm halls to help reduce the numbers of thefts, he added.

Although their presence may fend off possible robbers, some council members showed concerns of allowing the police to check individual doors. Many members said they were concerned that students' privacy as well as safety would be put into risk. Some also worried that students would panic at random police visits to their rooms.

The council also proposed the possibility of allowing the residence assistants to check unlocked doors instead of the police. Still, many felt that it was an excessive use of resources to cover up for individual faults.

"As adults, college students should take responsibility for their actions," said Campus Council Programming Chair Hope Lu, a senior. "It is nobody's fault but their own if they choose to leave their doors unlocked."

Council members agreed, however, that students need more effective reminders of the dangers they put themselves into when they leave their doors unlocked.

In addition, Campus Council Vice President Kevin Thompson, a senior, gave an update on efforts to increase accessibility to certain areas in Central Campus. Some members met with Assistant Director of Transit Peter Murphy Wednesday to consider the possibility of rerouting a bus to go through Oregon Street, Thompson said.

"It is a long-term project. Hopefully we will set this up in one year," he said.