“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high”
~ Sir Rabindranath Tagore
As felicitously put by Sir Tagore, a peaceful mind furthers prosperity. In short, fear in the mind inhibits growth. And the former is the kind of campus we want, and will fight for.
College is said to be your home away from home, and it is quite natural to consider your home to be a safe place. So why do we have cases of random strangers simply waltzing in, protest scenes becoming violent right outside our buildings and even a sexual assault case in one of the dorms on the Hill this summer. Why is it that it’s not possible for students to feel safe in their own home?
All of this is pernicious to the mental health of students, who are simply here to study, and it is absolutely abhorrent if we let go of these situations, accepting them as normal. My heart goes out to the individual mentioned in the above incident, and it is our responsibility as fellow students to show solidarity and make sure this does not happen again. I am quite certain of the fact that UCLA administration feels the same way, and wants to make sure students feel as safe as possible. So, why is it that more measures cannot be taken to make at least the Hill a place not filled with an air of precariousness?
UCPD has been excellent in apprehending criminals and burglars, but that’s merely obviating the fear momentarily. And that is the whole problem. It is at times like these, I’m reminded of the saying “prevention is better than cure” and I’m sure most of us agree. Why do we have to repair the damage that could have been averted in the first place? I would like to exhort UCLA to take some corrective action before another such grave incident happens.
It is understandable that the whole campus cannot be surrounded with walls to prevent outside entry, but that’s the reason for these abominable incidents. So, if the campus cannot be guarded in that way, then 24/7 UCPD surveillance by patrolling the perimeter of the campus and the Hill should be a must. Moreover, CCTV cameras must be present at every dorm on the front and back of the buildings to monitor entry and exit through doors and windows. It is also imperative to have a supervisor present, taking rounds and sitting at the entry of the buildings, at least at nights. One other idea that can have an impact is to have an emergency alarm on every floor for students to have the immediate necessary resources to alert officials. I’m quite positive that these precautions will get us a step closer to the ideal campus setting, without the infuriating anxiety that students currently feel. In fact, I strongly believe that during holidays and summer sessions when the crowd is sparse, safety measures must be taken even a step further and be absolutely excellent. Needless to say, there are students considering summer internships and summer courses, so safety especially then is indispensable.
Lastly, I would like to assert that complacency is not the goal i.e it is not enough to make the campus safer– it has to be deemed as the safest. As the #1 public university, I’m sure this is not a goal too immodest.
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Featured Image Photographed by Julia Zhou/BruinLife
