Jasper Hall is unlike any other dorm on campus. It does not have a security guard by the front door, it has very few security cameras and students do not use guest passes for when they have guests. Sometimes Jasper Hall can become a free-for-all with people doing whatever they want since there are no consequences to follow. Residents in Jasper definitely like that the building has that type of atmosphere. However, when a line is crossed, like an unknown person recording someone showering, it cannot be ignored.
I have been living in Jasper for two years now and I have never seen a situation like this. In fact, it was not until something like that happened that I came to realize just how easy it is for someone not affiliated with the school to come into the building. It is still unknown who recorded a girl showering, which leaves the girls in Jasper a little uneasy. We do not live in Horan or East Hill where we have a closed-off bathroom to shower. We have a single shower room in the middle of a hallway where anyone can come in at any time.
With a situation as sensitive as this, it comes to my surprise just how hands off Jasper Hall Resident Assistants have been when it comes to discussing the issue. Not once did residents receive an email about the situation, or have a floor meeting to discuss future actions if that situation happened again. The only email we received was the mass email that was sent out to the entire school.
The incident happened on the third floor, which is where I am currently living. Since that happened I am now skeptical every time I use the shower. An act like that one, while extremely uncommon, does leave the girls of Jasper Hall not feeling very safe.
Jasper is known for having absent security, but there have been extra security patrolling the halls since the incident. Guards have been patrolling the floors once every hour. I respect what the school is doing in order to help residents feel safe, but adding extra security will not ensure that.
In the two years I have lived in Jasper I saw a security guard on my floor every once in a blue moon. Now I see them three times a day. It is unbelievable how it takes an unnerving situation like this in order to add extra security. Lack of security in the building never bothered me before, but I have come to realize how much Jasper lacks in that department.
A simple email or a small floor meeting to talk about the current safety of the girls living on the third and fourth floors of Jasper is needed. Jasper Hall is small and people talk. Most of us already knew about the situation before the email was sent out to the school. However, just because people already know about it does not mean that it should get brushed under the rug. Residents should have been informed before the email hit the entire school.
Residents in Jasper Hall roam free, but sometimes we need to be reeled in and be informed about what is going on. Living in a hands-off environment is a wonderful thing, but it causes concern when Public Safety and administration stay hands off as well, especially considering current events.