With countless school shootings, sexual assault cases, and other various crimes occurring each year, the time for new school security systems in now. Campus police have been patrolling every college and university in the nation for many years, but is their training enough to keep students safe? The need for more armed security on college campuses started as a small issue and has since then snowballed into a giant problem for college administrators to solve. By providing campus police officers with updated training for safe gun use, college students can enjoy a safe experience while away from home. In a recent study conducted by The National Sexual Violence Resource Center, on average, one out of every five girls, and one out of every sixteen men, will be sexually assaulted during college. These statistics are shocking and sadly true. New improvements for preventing and reporting sexual assaults need to be implemented to keep both female and male students safe while at college. In general, crime has been on a steady decline across the nation, however, that does not mean it is completely gone. By adding extra security measures to dorm and other campus buildings, certain crimes, such as theft, can be stopped altogether. Improving on these three main issues will lead to safer and more enjoyable college experiences for all students. College is supposed to be a place of learning, but how can one become successful in the classroom if they are worried about their safety while on campus?

For many years, it has been illegal for guns to be on or near campus grounds. Until recently, many police officers did not even carry weapons on them if they were working on campus. In recent years, these rules have become more lenient and some colleges and universities have begun to allow police officers to carry and use fire arms while on campus. By providing police officers with guns, students will be more protected and the amount of school shootings resulting in casualties will decline. Because accidents often occur, police officers need to be trained using updated methods to deal with dangerous situations in the safest way possible. Each year new training classes need to be provided to campus police officers to ensure that they are up to date on their training. Because this course isn’t free, the college or university should be responsible for covering costs associated with the program. This is a reasonable proposition because the campus has the obligation to keep their students safe. By adding this extra level of security, they are fulfilling their duty and keeping the entire campus safe. 

Many people argue against the use of guns and other weapons on college campuses because they have the potential to be harmful if used incorrectly. There has been a miniscule amount of reporting’s of accidental deaths caused by the misuse of guns on campus. Although accidents do happen, the number of casualties that occur each year are not enough to ban guns from being used by police officers on campus. In a recent article by CNN, a student was shot and killed while on the way home from class. The article was very direct in claiming this tragedy with the title; ‘College Police Officer Kills Student.’ The student assaulted the officer, who was beaten with his own baton, after the student snatched it from his grip. The police officer reacted to the situation in the best way he could, and took matters into his own hands by firing multiple shots at the student. The situation ended with the student being dead and the officer put on leave.  Situations like this are create a negative connotation for guns even though they can be extremely safe if used correctly. Because this specific counter argument to the original claim happens on such a rare occasion, it cannot be used as solid evidence to put this debate to rest. Guns are still extremely necessary for the safety and protection of the students, faculty, and police officers. 

Because there are so many ways to reduce the amount of crime that occurs on university campuses, the debate on whether school campuses are safe enough for students should no longer be an argument. The methods to protect students while away from home are easily attainable for all colleges and should be implemented starting immediately. Although some areas of the nation do not agree with the use of guns, having them in the hands of campus police officers will reduce the amount of violent crimes on campus. By providing these police officers with extensive training, of the handling and use of fire arms, the police officers will be correctly educated to operate guns. In most cases of school shootings, there is one shooter involved, and they typically are heavily armed. By allowing police officers to carry guns on school grounds, these criminals will be stopped as quickly as possible, leading to the lowest loss of life. Because this has been the case for most of the past school shootings, it is solid evidence to prove that guns are a necessity for campus police officers.

Police officers stationed on campus are not only there to prevent violent crimes, but instead all crimes, including sexual assault. Per the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, one out of every five women, and one out of every sixteen men, will be sexually assaulted while in college. These numbers are shockingly high and prove to be true at most colleges across the nation. Many times, victims of sexual assault are afraid to report the incident because they do not want to be judged. Feeling like it was their fault is a common emotion for many sexual assault victims, therefore, so many events go unreported. The methods that are currently in place to report and punish a sexual assault offender are weak and do not provide the victim with enough support. There must be easier ways to report these incidents to help students feel safe. Anonymous hotlines could be provided to students for these matters, creating a judgment free way to report rape. By giving students this option to be anonymous, they will feel protected and will not fear being judged. 

Another issue that relates to sexual assault is the punishment enforced on the offenders. In many cases the offender suffers miniscule punishment and spends little to no time in prison. These sanctions need to be stricter to dismay people from committing these crimes. Based on an article from The Huffington Post, Brock Turner, a student athlete at Stanford, committed rape and was only sentenced to three months in jail. His original sentence was set to be six months long, but promised that with good behavior and a sign of change that time could be shortened dramatically. Obviously, this was the case and Brock Turner was released from prison on March 30th, 2016. The article called his sentence lenient and explained how white privilege and rape culture collide to allow these horrific events to go almost completely unnoticed. How is it that a rapist only spends three months in jail while his victim is hurt for their entire life? This is a corrupt scenario that occurs all too often. By making it easier to report rape and increasing negative sanctions for the offenders the amount of sexual assault that occurs will decline significantly. Many citizens will become more afraid to commit sexual crimes when they know that the probable punishments are extremely harsh.

In recent years, general crime has been on a steady decline across the nation. Many people believe the exact opposite because they do not know the facts. By reading the crime reports on the FBI’s website, it can be seen that the amount of violent and property crimes has been steadily decreasing since the mid 1900’s. Many believe that this is because there are more police officers working today than there was in the past. This could be true, but there are also other things that help prevent crime. Some of these things include security cameras, police call boxes, and neighborhood watch teams. By adding more security cameras around college campuses, criminals will be deterred from breaking the law. The cameras will also allow police officers to track down offenders and ensure they are punished to the full extent of the law. The most susceptible place for crime to occur on a college campus is in the dorm buildings. At the University of South Carolina, there are extensive measures put in place to ensure that no nonresidents can enter the building freely. By enforcing rules to sign in all guests and providing photo ID for access, university administrators know exactly who enters and exits a dorm building. Not many universities enforce this check in policy making their buildings less safe. By adding this feature to all campuses around the country, students will be safe in their dorms no matter what college they choose to attend.   

Many students at the University of South Carolina that live in residential dorms, disagree with the check in policy. They claim that the process is too extensive and it is too difficult to sign in guests. There are a few flaws with the check in rules. Firstly, residents can only check in up to three guests at one time, and depending on the dorm building, they can only stay for a certain period. This problem causes issues for students when they have more than three guests, or it is after check in hours. In some situations, such as move in day, students need their parents help to bring items up to their rooms. During these times guests are still required to be checked in, even if they are leaving shortly after being checked in. This turns into a hassle and can be a nuisance for parents and students. Another problem with the check in system is that many buildings require both the guest and the resident to leave their photo ID’s at the desk. Because of this rule, residents are required to go back down to the front desk and pick up their ID when they want to check out their guest. This causes a hassle for many students and could be easily fixed to make entry and exit easier. Although these problems are constantly occurring at the University of South Carolina, there are methods that could be put in place to help reduce the hassle involved with checking in guests. One thing that could be done is removing the rule that requires residents to leave their photo ID at the front desk. This would allow guests to check out of the building without the resident being with them. Another thing that could be changed is the allotted check in hours and length of stay allowed. Students should be allowed to have guests over at any time and for however long they want. Other schools around the nation utilize different sign in procedures that tend to be easier and much more efficient. The University of North Carolina Wilmington is a prime example of this easier method. To sign in guests at UNCW, the resident must present their student card and the guest signs their name in a registry. After the initial check in the guest may come and go freely without signing in again. This method may seem dangerous, but because the resident has to sign them in the initial time it ensures that the guest is not a threat to the other resident’s safety. By implementing rules like UNCW’s at all schools, students will have more lenient guest policies and have a safer place to call home. 

Around most modern college campuses there are a few things that are provided to students to keep them protected. One of these methods is the use of emergency call boxes throughout the entire campus. Surprisingly, a community college in California has recently uprooted this program, and removed all their emergency call boxes that were previously located around campus. The dean of the college explained to Inside Higher Education magazine that the school opted to remove the call boxes to save money. This jeopardizing decision may have the power to bring tons of crime with it. When criminals know that there is no way for their victim to call for help they are more likely to commit violent crimes. Per an article in Campus Safety magazine, roughly 24% of all violent crimes are committed in open areas, 9% being in parking lots or garages. This is a shocking number because it does not seem that crime would be committed in public areas. These crimes are typically theft and assault. However, because some schools do not utilize emergency call boxes, they allow for more crime to occur in open areas. Providing these lifesaving resources to students enables them to feel safe and know that help can be attained within a moment’s notice.

In conclusion, campus safety is a huge issue that has been heavily debated for many years. Students and parents deserve to know if they will be protected while on campus, and they need certain resources to attain this peace of mind. By allowing campus police officers to hold and use guns in dangerous situations, many lives will be saved and students will be protected. Guns are typically seen with a negative connotation because they can be dangerous if used incorrectly. However, with proper training and regular skill checks, campus police officers will have the required knowledge to use firearms in the safest way possible. Training must be extensive and background checks must be provided to all university officials before police officers can be hired. Other than having armed police officers on campus, hotlines and resources for sexual assault victims need to be provided with anonymity in mind. Many times, these crimes go un reported because victims are embarrassed about the situation. By allowing people to give leads anonymously, sexual assault offenders can be tracked down and punished without the victim being put into danger. Another issue with sexual assault crimes is that the punishment is not severe enough to deter individuals from committing these heinous crimes. Based on court cases held in the past few years the average jail time for a person convicted of rape is extremely small. Changing this will cause people to think before they commit crimes and realize the punishments that come with it. Lastly, security cameras need to be set up around campus to catch criminals and prevent crime from occurring. Knowing that a camera is watching can cause people to get nervous when committing crimes, and will even deter them from doing it altogether. Emergency call boxes that are often seen in open areas around campuses are necessary for notifying police officers of dangerous situations. These boxes keep students safe and allow them to place anonymous calls to the police station when they feel that they are in danger. In general, college and university campuses are safe, however improvements in the current systems to keep students and faculty safe can be implemented to ensure that college life goes as smoothly as possible. Both for the students and their parents. 
