Student feels unsafe due to lack of security

Kamryn Trusler, staff writer

Kamryn Trusler, staff writer

Another sleepless night in East Hall room 103. My nameless “prankster” raps on my window a few more times before eventually deciding the cold wasn’t worth the kicks and giggles.

I get out from under my warm covers. I am alone. I walk into my suite’s living room and find that my peep hole has been unscrewed from its socket. A hole is left, big enough to see inside. I immediately feel exposed and go back in my room to change into something more conservative. I hear noises in the hallway and a sense of frustration runs over me. I march to the door, open it, and a wave of water splashes over my legs. My prankster leaned a large bucket of water against my door so that as soon as I opened it, it would spill over. At the bottom of the bucket lies a business card from the place that I work. I slam the door shut, cover the exposed hole in my door with some duct tape, and my mind begins racing.

It is winter break so there are little to no students left in the dorms. My roommates have all gone home to their families, along with every single RA. I pick up my phone and dial the campus police. The officer shows up quickly and I file a report. He promises to patrol the area, and I feel better. After he left I attempted to dry the spilled water. I hear another rap on the window, and I go hide under my covers to finish out my sleepless night in East Hall room 103.

Dorm security at Missouri Southern is a joke. There are zero security cameras in the hallways of the dorms, and none facing the parking lot. The doors leading into the apartments and dorms are all easily jammed with a bit of gum or a pencil eraser, so that they no longer require a key. No security alarm system exists, and people sneaking in and out of the residence halls, or even living there without payment or documentation is common.

This lack of security is unacceptable. The fault does not lie with the campus police or any law enforcement agency. It is a funding issue. Simple security cameras are essential for not only theft issues, but also for general feelings of safety.

I may have been harmlessly pranked back in January, but the emotions of helplessness and frustration that came with it were anything but harmless. But for some students at Missouri Southern, their experience with the lack of security in their temporary homes led to both emotional, and physical pain.