When Northwestern’s new security policies were announced last November, about 90 percent of students who responded to an ASG poll on HereAndNow said they opposed the plan.
But last week when the policies were implemented, they met little resistance, and now the university could expand its policies as early as next week – adding contracted guards for smaller dorms to match those already in larger ones, according to University Police Assistant Chief Dan McAleer.
“We are working to supplement the (community service officers) with contract security officers to cover the nine smaller residence halls that had student monitors last year,” McAleer said. “We hope to have them in place by the first of October, if not before.”
Willard Residential College president Stuart Anderson said students are coming around to the administration’s point of view at his dorm, where a security guard is on duty from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily.
“We really like the new system,” the Weinberg sophomore said. “It gives us security, and it gives us a new face in the dorm. We have a new security guard, and he’s getting to know us. Everyone’s becoming friends with (the security guard).”
The new measures were phased in over the summer and are designed to ensure only residents of university housing and their guests can enter dorms. When students returned to campus last week, security cameras were placed in entrances in every dorm on campus, and professional community service officers began working in the entrances of those dorms with more than 150 residents.
According to McAleer, the changes are significant.
“Obviously there’s been a lot of changes to the landscape,” McAleer said. “This is an initiative the university has taken to not only maintain but also to improve residence hall security.”
Foster-Walker Complex President Eric Parker said residents in his dorm received the latest changes well. Last spring, Foster-Walker residents objected to alarms placed on all doors besides the front entrance.
“Things seem to be going pretty smoothly,” the Weinberg senior said. “From what I’ve seen, the guard just sits at the desk and asks people to come over and give her their WildCARDs.”
The nine smaller dorms, which formerly had security monitors in their lobbies, now only have security cameras, which are not monitored continuously.
Stanley Polit, president of the Public Affairs Residential College, whose dorm has had problems with trespassing in the past, said cameras aren’t enough in his dorm.
“I support the camera; I just don’t think it’s the best answer,” the SESP sophomore said. “The best line of defense is having someone there. To a girl with a creepy guy standing over her, it’s not a consoling fact that they will be able to find the guy (eventually, because of the video cameras).”
Polit and other Residence Hall Association and Residential College Board officials first requested more comprehensive security for small dorms at a meeting with administrators in April.
Some dorm presidents were told about the private security guards when they got to campus, but others said they received different messages.
Polit said the Community Assistant for his dorm described a plan similar to McAleer’s.
“He said the bigger dorms were getting certified officers, and that the smaller dorms would get officers that were either not certified or would be in training to be certified,” Polit said.
However, Tara Garcia Mathewson, president of South Mid Quads, said she heard something different.
“One of the CAs said that the university was going to get a floating security officer to walk along the quads where there are no security guards,” the Medill sophomore said.
McAleer said the Office of Residential Life was responsible for informing student leaders. Director of Residential Life Mary Goldenberg could not be reached for comment.
Many said an incident Monday when an intruder was seen in the Kappa Alpha Theta house has heightened appreciation for the new measures.
“I actually live in the room (an intruder) first broke into,” Anderson said. “It used to be a girl’s room. So we’re happy the new security measures are in place.”
Reach Michael Gsovski at [email protected].
