By Mikal Hickley
Special to In Motion
College traditionally is a place to learn and it used to be rare for students to think about sudden tragedies on campus. Today, no one needs to be reminded about the many college shootings and murders over the last few years in the United States.
Even Daytona State College has felt the pressure of potential violence. On Nov. 25 and Dec. 3 and 7, DSC was wracked by bomb threats on campus. That’s no secret to the thousands of students, faculty and staff alerted by the College’s Rave Alert, an emergency alert system capable of delivering text and voice messages and email messages. One of the alerts was before dawn, causing many to lose sleep. All of the threats resulted in lost productivity on campus, as well as the cancellation of some classes and the lock-down of buildings.
The events of last semester reinforced the idea that tragedy can occur anywhere at any time. But what can college campus security do to further prevent unforeseen situations? Second shift lead supervisor Rick Simpson of DSC’s Campus Safety believes students should be alert, but not alarmed.
According to Simpson, DSC’s Campus Safety patrols are based upon a number of variables, including special events, size of crowds and trouble spots that may exist on campus.
“It varies based upon the situation on campus,” he said, declining to comment on how many patrols are on duty at any given time.
In recent years DSC’s Campus Safety, as is the case at many other colleges, has teamed up with local law enforcement officers to cover the College. The Daytona Beach Police Department loans officers to the campus to help back up those already on duty. All DSC officers receive training in conflict resolution, emergency response, CPR and first aid, along with the protection of campus personnel and property. Monthly, they issue campus crime reports that are posted online.
The Campus Safety’s website — www.daytonastate.edu/campus_safety/ — also contains plenty of information on how to avoid dangerous situations and what to do if there is an event on campus. In addition to awareness and education services, the department issues ID cards, issue parking decals and offer campus information to visitors and students alike. It’s a lot for a little department and as the College continues to grow, so does the push for more officers in a time of shrinking budgets.
As Bill Tillard, director of Campus Safety, sees it, there are not enough officers in the world to cover every possible problem on any campus. That is why he emphasizes the importance of “If you see something, say something.”
As outlined on the Campus Safety website, “Daytona State helps you maintain your personal safety by sharing information you can use to reduce your chances of becoming the victim of a crime or accident. We believe that an informed college is a safer college. The information provided by Campus Safety is designed to inform, advise and alert you about Daytona State policies and procedures on crime awareness and reporting. “
Tillard says it is important that everyone familiarize themselves with that information. Being pro-active goes a long way towards helping the College’s efforts to create and maintain a safe environment in which everyone can live, study and work.
Down the street at Bethune-Cookman University, student Brian Smith, a former DSC student, feels that DSC does a better job of protecting its campus. Police officers often patrol DSC’s campus at random times during the day. There is also a stationary police vehicle unit that is parked outside of Building 100 (when exiting the building, it’s on the left side parking lot). Simpson said it has been approximately two years since the Daytona Beach Police Department was incorporated into Campus Safety and some officers patrol during peak daylight hours.
At Bethune-Cookman, Smith said they do not police officers incorporated into the school’s security. “We just have straight campus security, there are no police roaming around,” he said, adding that the university could hire better security to completely cover the campus.
In the past 15 months, 13 Bethune-Cookman students have been shot, according to news reports. Of the 13, however, only three were involved in a shooting on campus, which was outside of the music building. All victims suffered minor injuries. The rest were shot at off-campus parties and at an apartment complex, resulting in three deaths.
In a statement from the university, officials at the time said, “At Bethune-Cookman University, our first priority is the safety and well-being of our students. Our Critical Incident Care Team is currently providing grief counseling and support services to students who are in need. This is a very unfortunate incident and our thoughts and prayers are with the families, loved ones and fellow classmates of these students.”
Clearly, students’ safety is every college’s number one priority. Yet there is no such thing as a “completely safe” school because sudden violence and crimes are often random and unavoidable in modern American life.
As mentioned, college campus security is everybody’s business. Students should report any suspicious activity for their own, as well as the school’s protection.
Regarding the 2015 fall semester bomb threats, Simpson said Campus Safety found out about some of them because they were informed and alerted of the threats, some of which were written on whiteboards in classrooms and a bathroom stall.
Another crucial step in securing students’ safety is signing up for Rave Alerts. Information should be reviewed and updated as necessary. Visit https://www.getrave.com/login/daytonastate to log in to your Rave Alert Account. The system is 100 percent spam free and information will not be shared.