When the administration suggested exterior dorm locks three years ago, few could imagine that safety would become such a major concern.
Right now, some students do not feel safe walking home alone late at night or showering in their residence halls. Regardless of how small or large this group of students is, it exists.
Dartmouth's idyllic small town image has persisted for so long that it has almost become mythical. Our perceptions of campus safety today are vastly different than they were just a few years ago. We have been confronted by the harsh reality of crime on campus and the time has come to adapt.
In light of recent shower intrusions in residence halls coupled with safety concerns raised by the Zantop murders only a few miles away from campus, Dartmouth has reached a time in its history when new security precautions seem necessary and pertinent. We need these precautions to provide comfort for those students who do not feel safe. And we need them to help prevent other students from discovering how terrifying that feeling of insecurity can be.
It is simply not worth it to sit back and wait for something truly awful to happen in one of the residence halls before we take proactive action.
Because of this, we applaud Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman for taking the initiative to institute a user-friendly system of exterior locks on all residence halls despite the major expense.
Though many will undoubtedly express outrage at Redman's decision, citing perceived inconvenience and a potential affect on the homey feeling of the campus, it is clear that the positives greatly outweigh the negatives in the world we live in today.
