Editor’s note: This article ran in last week’s edition of Mirror Monday as “Fairfield security measures: Are they enough?”.
At first glance, the blue light emergency call system employed by many American universities, including Fairfield, appears fool-proof.
Press a button. Speak to the security department. Wait for help.
In a more frightening scenario, there is little time to follow these steps – let alone wait for help. Your attacker is hot on your heels. Or, in an even more likely situation, you’re in a dorm room, far out of reach of the fail-safe blue lights.
Browse the website or brochure of any college, and you will inevitably stumble upon a page dedicated to public safety on campus. Schools boast numerous blue lights, as well as safety whistles and “safe rides” services. Fairfield University is no exception.
Fairfield has 15 blue light emergency call boxes, the first five of which were installed in 1991, on its approximately 200-acre campus. In the case of an emergency, a student can use the system to be directly connected to the security office.
While Frank Ficko, associate director of security at Fairfield, said that the blue lights work as one of many tools implemented on campus to ensure a safe environment, he added that he “could probably count on one hand the number of true emergencies.”
Once inside a residence hall or when out of sight of a blue light, however, students’ options are very limited. Even with a phone, time is one thing that a student does not have in a crisis situation.
“When I listen to the blue light system, it doesn’t make sense,” said April Vourneli, director of campus security at the University of Bridgeport.
The University of Bridgeport uses a system called Personal Alarm Locator (PAL). Every student and faculty member is provided with a device that is approximately the size of a car panic button. The device can be kept on a key chain where it is within reach at all times.
If in trouble, students can apply pressure to the center of the device. This alerts security, and the name and location of the student appears on a computer screen in the security office.
Tanesha Baxter, a graduate student at Bridgeport, attended Albany as an undergrad. Accustomed to the blue light system, she feels much safer with the PAL device.
“I always hold it,” said Baxter.
When asked about the necessity of such a device at Fairfield, Ficko did not see the need for a supplemental safety measure.
“We have our share of incidents,” Ficko said, but added that the university uses 15 surveillance cameras and has ID-restricted access to dormitory buildings.
While these safety measures are sufficient for public areas, the statistics in the annual Clery campus crime report, specifically for Fairfield, show that the majority of sexual and other offenses do not occur outside, but in residential halls.
In 2002, there were four forcible sexual offenses at Fairfield. All four of these occurred in student residences – far out of sight of the protective blue emergency lights. In 2001, five of seven forcible sexual offenses occurred in residence halls.
A female student at the University of Bridgeport was in a dorm room with a boyfriend, according to Vourneli. He began hitting her and would not allow her to get to the phone. She was able to reach her keys and PAL device. Within seconds, security knew her location and was able to respond.
Fairfield, like many other schools, offers courses in self-defense and provides plenty of educational tips on safety.
“There’s no magic bubble that hovers over this campus,” said Ficko. “However, I’m convinced that if people take precautions, they can prevent crimes.”
If alcohol is involved, or in the case of a sudden crisis, education may not be enough.
According to a representative from Secure Systems Inc., which manufactures the PAL devices, Bridgeport is the only university to use the system so far.
Many schools, including other Jesuit institutions such as Boston College, rely on the blue light system and has over 100 emergency call boxes on its campus.
“The blue lights are a good idea, but I honestly don’t think they are used very often,” said Stephanie Liakos, a freshman at Boston College. “The most dangerous offenses in college probably happen in private.”
Loyola College in Maryland, another Jesuit school, uses not only the blue light system, but also closed circuit television cameras. More than 75 cameras are placed to monitor activity at various locations on campus.
While it is unlikely that additional security measures would be necessary with any frequency, the Clery Report shows that problems do exist. Residence halls are prime locations for emergencies that public safety cannot attend to, whether the emergency is alcohol poisoning, a severe allergy, or sexual assault.
“It would be nice to have added security if you’re in trouble in your dorm room,” said Fairfield’s Amy Mayrhofer ’06.
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