The new Residential Security Workgroup committee sent an e-mail to all students yesterday, asking them to complete an Internet survey about residential safety issues.
The Residential Security survey includes questions about whether students lock their rooms, students' preferences for locking residence halls and the installation of restricted access systems.
Acting Dean of Residential Life Mary Liscinsky, who chairs the committee, said its function is "to find out the state of residence hall security and how aware students are of these issues so that we can make a safe campus safer."
Last spring, the College investigated a two-key system, which would allow it to lock all residential halls, after trespassing and vandalism incidents occurred in a Streeter Hall bathroom.
Following the incidents in Streeter, Director of Residential Operations Woody Eckels addressed the Student Assembly on the issue of improving dormitory safety and proposed a system that would require students to use two separate keys, one to gain entry to all buildings and one to open their rooms.
The Assembly voted overwhelmingly in support of the proposal to lock the dormitories.
But student backlash against the doorlocking proposal prompted administrators to seek further input from the student body before implementing any of the proposals Eckels discussed with the Assembly.
Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson later created the Residential Security Workgroup committee to investigate issues of residential security.
Liscinsky said the group's survey is only one component of a comprehensive study the group is doing, including researching security at other institutions and surveying student groups on campus.
"A lot of the best ideas come from students, so we want to find out their thoughts," Liscinsky said.
At the end of the Fall term, Nelson will receive the final report with all the information and the results of the survey. The final report will be presented to other concerned parties such as the president of the College, the Board of Trustees, Safety and Security and students.
