Flawed Bag Checking System
When I came to Bridgewater State University last year, I felt safe knowing that every residence hall had a required bag checking system. Although, there is still a cause for concern. Beginning with this academic year, bag checks are no longer enforced in any hall at any time; some halls even have a system where there is no security guard on duty until five o’clock p.m., which only adds to my concern.
With this change, any student can bring virtually anything into the dorms. I mean, c’mon, seriously? I don’t even drink alcohol and I can see how easy it would be to sneak some beer into my dorm… After all, who would be watching me bring this stuff in since there’s nobody at the front desk?
Think about how scary of a thought that is! Who’s to say that someone couldn’t bring in a weapon and cause harm to people on campus? There are no metal detectors, no policemen at the doors, no police dogs, no fingerprint scanners, no alcohol tests, nothing! It’s worrisome because I have heard students and faculty say, “Bridgewater State University is the safest campus in the country!” Is it really, though? Honestly, because of how easy it would be to sneak something dangerous into the dorms without bag checks, it’s becoming more apparent to me that I have to think about alternate escape routes if something like a shooting were ever going to happen.
Just the other night, I was sleeping in bed and I had a nightmare of myself breaking a window with my laptop while attempting to tie all my sheets together to make a rope so that I would be able to get outside safely. I also wondered if I could move my wardrobe in front of my door to keep it as secure as possible; all while thinking about what item I could use to defend myself with. I concluded that if I had to defend myself, my pair of scissors would be the best bet. And even still, that is nowhere near a good enough defense system if that were ever to happen!
So, what should one do? Well, that’s simple.
Fix the broken system!
If BSU wants to continue being the “safest school in the country,” then take extra precautions so that these types of things never happen! Having staff check everyone’s bags twenty-four seven is a MILLION times better than the system we have now. We have to make sure that every student is protected from harm at all times.
It’s strange. Every time I pass the RLH building I always read the “every day is a great day to be a bear” quote on their window. As much as I love to be a bear, I can’t help but sometimes read it as, “every day is a precaution filled day when being a bear.” If that’s what I am getting from reading a harmless quote on someone’s window to make people smile, maybe it’s about time to place more emphasis on the safety of the students and faculty at BSU.
