Campus Safety in the Kent State Dorms
Dorm safety is something that every college student living on campus has to worry about. For most incoming students, it is their first time living on their own and they need to feel safe and secure. Whether that is simply going to bed at night or taking a shower. Each university is different, but Kent State University provides procedures and rules to ensure safety for people living on campus and even off campus, as well.
Kent State University is committed to protecting life and property, maintaining the peace and ensuring a safe and secure learning environment for students, faculty, staff and guests of the university according to kent.edu. The website explains that, “we offer a wide range of comprehensive resources and services to help mitigate, respond and recover from incidents affecting our campus communities.”
In 2018 — Kent State University was ranked 25th as the Safest Campus in the Country because of their partnering with security aides, flash alerts and many other resources that are available to students. Kent State has a security aide system where trained students will walk you to where you need to be if you are coming back from the library late or do not feel safe on campus walking back to the dorm alone. The university also has Flash Alerts which will send texts and emails out to students to notify them of critical information.
Although there are rules and procedures in place, Madison Phillips, Kent State Freshman, explains that, “the safety of the dorms is too lenient because there is no monitoring of any of the doors — anyone could get in if they wanted.” She says: “To improve the safety of the dorms would be ID checks at all of the main entrances.” Kent State University only does ID checks on big holidays or if you have a non-Kent State Student staying with you.
Many off-campus students have friends that still live in the dorms. Off-campus students do not have personal access to get inside of the dorm halls since they do not reside there. However, Mikayla Kohar, off-campus sophomore, says, “people are very willing to let me in — so it’s very easy to follow people up to the proper dorm halls so I can just walk in and go to my friends’ room.”
Tara Wade, RA at Allyn Hall, explains that there are great procedures inline to make students feel safe and secure but she says: “There is sometimes problems with people just coming in behind them after who do not live in the hall — sometimes I think that is inevitable.” Most students know everyone on their residence hall, but when they see someone random, even if it is a friend of someone, students feel unsafe and cautious.
With advice from students living on and off-campus, Kent State University, could become an even safer campus where students always feel safe and secure. Every student at all times should feel safe, just as if they were in their own home.
