Ivory Security

Liz Henriksson

This past week a series of break-ins occurred in the Ivory Tower residence hall. In this incident two women were able to get into the building and walk into a series of unlocked doors and steal many valuables from these rooms. Even after these break-ins GWU police only seldomly monitored the lobby to make sure only GWU students were able to get into the building. I would have thought this incident would have alerted GWU to the problem that one of the largest dorms on campus was easily able to be broken into. I know I have personally followed individuals in through the doors to get into Ivory at one point in time for all my four years of college, however it can cause dangerous problems for the individuals living in that building. While students should lock their doors to their rooms, I do think there should be some responsibility by the university and by UPD to monitor who is going in and out of the buildings. UPD has began to instill a policy where on weekends students are required to show their Gworlds or sign any guests in, however while I do not think this is necessary during the weekdays and during the day time, I do think UPD should be at the front to keep a eye on things. Thurston, a similar sized dorm to Ivory, has UPD at the front desk at all times and requires students to swipe in or sign in their guests. While this may seem excessive and students should take care of their belongings and their rooms, it is just that extra bit of effort by GWU and even just the presence of UPD at the front desk that could help prevent future incidents.