By Jason Cunningham and Zach Perras
A report sent from Jean Alicandro, Director of Residence Life, details the efforts of Central Connecticut State University to ensure that resident halls are safer after the James Hall intrusion by Chlevera Trimmier on Sept. 16.
According to the report, CCSU police have been doing extra security rounds at the dorms. They’ve also been checking doors at dorms to see if they’re locked, speaking with students who they find still leaving their doors unlocked. The James Hall staff has also been doing random checks to see if their residents’ doors are locked. When they come upon an unlocked door they remind the residents of that room to lock it. If no one is in the suite and the door is unlocked they lock it and follow-up with those residents.
The James Hall Resident Director, Lauren Turrene, has added a second duty staff person to help with sign-ins and rounds on Thursday nights, the reports says, because of the high traffic regularly experienced on Thursdays at James Hall.
“We have printed and are laminating postings with important numbers, including police, routine and emergency, health services, residence life, student affairs, etc. to be placed behind each door. Facilities has also ordered some professional safety signage for the doors reminding students to lock doors,” Alicandro wrote in the report.
The report also mentions that Jason Powell, CCSU’s Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety, will have an independent company coming in this year and do a safety audit of all resident halls on campus. University officials are to take recommendations from these experts.
“I personally believe that this is a logical approach; a well advised plan is always much better than jumping into quick fixes or changes that may not have lasting effects,” Alicandro wrote in the report.
The report says that additional postings in the James Hall main lobby and on all building floors are up to encourage good safety habits like locking room doors. The hall council and the staff of James Hall have also been working on planning safety programs for this semester with the CCSU Police.