Unregistered guests become a problem
Campus security works to help secure students and campus

Emily Rose | staff writer

Campus Safety and Security recently had an incident on Nov. 10, concerning an off-duty police officer using his badge to enter townhouses in the 300s, as an unregistered guest.

I’m a cop and I’m coming in

Senior Dan Delaney is one of the residents whose townhouse this man entered. Delaney’s friends were watching his door for guests and came to tell him that there was a police officer in his house, he says.

“We were making people tell jokes to get inside,” says junior Victor Senning, one of Delaney’s friends who watched the door. “He pulled out his badge and said, ‘Here’s your joke. I’m a cop and I’m coming in.’”

St. Michael's "open door" party atmosphere can be subject to unregistered intruders. Photo illustration by Larry Frisoli

Delaney says it is difficult to balance having a safe and successful party while also keeping suspicious people outside. 

“I didn’t know him and it was an invite-only party,” Delaney says. “It’s hard to host a party because there are the people you do know and trust, but there are always going to be people you don’t know.”

Delaney says that he kicked the man out and immediately called Security to resolve the situation. 

“We were called and we did meet up with this person,” Peter Soons, director of Safety and Security says. “We basically identified him, spoke with him and released him.”

Soons says Security did a follow up with that person about his visit to campus, and he is receiving a notice of trespass.

Students struggle for safe parties

Delaney says it’s hard for students hosting parties, because it’s nice to be able to leave the door open. This is something that makes St. Michael’s feel small, and it’s unfortunate when other people take advantage of that by bringing unwanted people to parties, Delaney says.

Guests on campus can become a problem for Security, and if they are not registered, it’s nearly impossible to know where to find them, especially during emergencies, crime prevention officer Michael Manning says.

“It comes down to safety,” Manning says. “If we have no way to reach somebody, ultimately we have no way to get a hold of them.”

Soons says that when dealing with guests on campus, it is much easier for Security to deal with if the person can be linked with a student on campus. However, if someone is causing trouble and they have no affiliation with anyone on campus, that person will most likely be escorted out. Security will then issue that person a notice of trespass. If that person is found on campus again, they will be arrested, Soons says.

Campus security is looking for new ways to keep St. Michael's students safe on campus. Larry Frisoli, photo

Security often has to deal with students from other schools. When this happens, the security officer may call the security department from that school that that student attends to let them know what their students are up to.

This also happens if St. Michael's students misbehave at other schools; their security department will call the St. Michael's security department, Manning says.

“People who don’t go here think that they have nothing to lose,” Manning says.

Soons says that the school community as a whole, including security and students, must do its job to monitor who comes and goes through the school. It is a collective responsibility to make sure that the people who are in the school belong here, and that the people who don’t belong here are not here.

“I like to think our student population is identifying people who aren’t supposed to be here,” Soons says. “They’re doing something about it or getting us to do something.”

Senning says that he doesn’t mind guests who are with someone from the school. He does not like seeing random kids walking around who have no connection with the school.

“We are seeing more people who are not affiliated on campus who we have to deal with and encounter,” Soons says.

An invitation for trouble

Soons says that the guest policy through the student life office helps keep track of guests. It raises the level of awareness that there is a responsibility for the guests students bring on campus, he says.

Something that might make the campus safer would be to get rid of the locks on doors and use an electronic system, Manning says. This would hopefully eliminate the propped doors, and also require students to carry their IDs with them at all times, he says.

“By propping a door, you don’t know who you’re inviting in,” Manning says.

In years past, all the dorm buildings used to be unlocked from 7 a.m. until 7 p.m. Now, with the exception of Founder’s Hall, all the dorms are locked 24 hours a day, Manning says.

In years past, residence halls remained unlocked, but now security keeps them locked around the clock to protect students from unwanted visitors. Photo illustration by Larry Frisoli

Soons says that the idea of the electronic access system is currently on the table. He would like to see it happen. It is the next step in making the campus safer, he says.

Manning would also like to see more of the blue emergency lights spread out around campus. Right now, the lights can be seen, but from many places they are quite a distance away. There are also non-blue light phones, but most students don’t know about them, Manning says.

“The blue lights are an ongoing process,” Soons says.

If a student at any time feels unsafe, the student can call security will come and escort the student to their destination, Manning says. There are patrols out at all times, some mobile and some on foot, and when the weather is nice there is a bike patrol, he says.