Security on campus has become tight since death of Tall
Matthew Keever
Tall was shot to death two weeks ago at the Metro bus stop outside Hofheinz Pavilion on the 3400 block of Cullen Blvd.
Executive Vice President and Vice Chancellor for Administration and Finance Carl Carlucci said in a statement that crime on this campus is unacceptable.
In his continuing efforts to prevent crime, he has reminded students of the 490 video cameras in parking lots and other selecte d areas, ongoing safety assessments and escorts for students on campus at night.
Students’ responses have been mixed. Bioengineering junior Max Lingamfelter wonders where the police were before the incident.
‘(The police) don’t seem overly invasive, just more visible. Either they have been doing a good job behind the scenes or they haven’t been doing enough,’ he said.
This is my second semester at UH, so I’m still relatively new to the campus. I haven’t seen the police too much, except when driving by their station. I’m not much of a worrier, so safety is never on the forefront of my mind. Instead, I just try to keep myself out of bad situations.
For all the negative feedback The Daily Cougar received for the picture on the cover the Feb. 9 issue, I found something else disturbing. Someone was able to take a picture of Tall’s uncovered body.
I’m not a crime-scene investigator, but shouldn’t the body be covered relatively quickly – before a student is able to snap a photo? Safety on this campus is a real issue. I don’t worry much about petty theft because if someone steals my stuff, I’m OK. Stuff can be replaced; however, lives cannot.
I’m pleased that security on campus is getting tighter. I will admit to speeding less when I’m late to class, but my daily routine hasn’t changed otherwise. And it won’t. If anything, there will be more pep in my step knowing I’m being watched over more carefully.
On bicycles, in cars and through cameras with lights – bring on the safety. The safer the campus is, the better. And I’m willing to get a few more speeding tickets to ensure my and fellow Cougars’ safety.
Matthew Keever is a communication junior and may be reached at [email protected].
More security may lead to less freedom, unnecessary policing
Abdul Khan
I know a guy who has been pulled over a few times this week. He was never ticketed for anything, just routine checks. No beat downs, no violations of civil rights. Just observe and release. This is the tip of the iceberg.
This is what I see happening in the future. These calls for cops on every corner will be heeded.
Let’s hope you have not recently used mouthwash, or you might fail a breathalyzer test.
Let’s hope one of your friends did not drop a prescription pill anywhere in your car. It could be considered possession.
Houston Independent School District has tried this kind of thing. They seriously beefed up security, and there are teachers who are fairly upset about drug policy.
As a result, more than a dozen HISD employees await court hearings for having been caught with marijuana or prescription drugs in their cars, according to The Houston Chronicle.
Gayle Fallon, president of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said teachers should consider detailing their cars if they have been driven by a teenager and to keep a copy of any prescription on hand, and that ‘by law, having such substances on or near school grounds is a heightened violation.’
That means ‘felony’ in Texas talk. Because of unnecessary security, a few teachers will probably lose their licenses, careers and maybe freedoms.
The U.S. does and should consider mitigating circumstances unlike Muslim nations. Consider that in Saudi Arabia a thief’s hands can be cut off for theft. In the U.S., the act alone is the only needed evidence. Good or bad, mitigating evil, who cares; all I know is things happen. I’m not sure our laws are well set up to be strongly and stringently enforced – there is no humanity in them.
Careful Cougars, if you demand this beefed up security you may find yourself pleading to a judge to not destroy your future with a felony charge because your frat brother, friend or roommate dropped an Adderall on your floorboard that you don’t have a prescription for.
Abdul Khan is a political science senior and may be reached at [email protected].
