Safety concerns on and off campus have mounted as the hunt for the perpetrator of Saturday morning's assaults on two female students continues.
The number of students requesting rides from Safety and Security has increased by approximately 10 percent in the wake of Saturday morning's assaults according to Lauren Cummings '72, Safety and Security public relations officer.
"We've had calls from a few concerned parents," Cummings said, "about half a dozen."
The Dean's Office is receiving its own inquiries. Senior Associate Dean of the College Dan Nelson '75 said, "We've had contact from a couple of parents wanting to know more about safety at Dartmouth."
He acknowledged that some students have also voiced their concerns to various deans.
Parents have inquired about services available to students, including Safety and Security escorts and use of emergency phones.
"The number of [emergency] phones is under constant review," Nelson said. "In the past few years, their number on campus has increased."
On the status of the impending locking of residence halls, he said, "We're anxious to get the project done, but also to do it well and do it right."
"I think Dartmouth is a relatively safe campus," Nelson said. "We're just trying to make sure that people are aware."
Michael Mothner '03 agreed. "I think it's stupid to take safety for granted," he said, "but I still feel pretty safe."
Neha Shroff '02 said, "I try to be as alert as possible ... I'm definitely not walking around alone at night now."
The general level of complacency on campus, she said, "will go back to where it was before -- that's just the way it works here."
"I think that an incident involving one person does not imply a general lack of safety," said Andrew Magee '02. "People may want to keep their eyes open until we find out who did it, but it hasn't made me lock my door at night."
He added, "I haven't heard anyone talking about it."
Irene Onyeneho '04 has not noticed any sweeping changes in the attitudes of her peers.
"I haven't really sensed any changes, but I think there's more of an altered mood at the dorms where [the assaults] happened," she said.
For Onyeneho, safety is nonetheless an issue of great importance.
"Even though we like to have this impression that Hanover is a totally safe environment, this event is a nagging reminder that we're not as secure as we think," she said.
Cummings described the current mood of students as "cautious and concerned."
Several times daily, he consults with the Dean's Office to relay information pertinent to the investigation. A mechanism exists that enables Safety and Security to immediately contact deans on call.
