In the midst of safety issues constantly on the rise, key areas of campus do not seem to be improving any security measures. Of course UW-Madison students are urged to do their part with increased diligence, but we can only do so much without any form of increase in protection by the university.
A prime example of a busy sector of campus that is far from protected is the workout center at the Southeast Recreational Facility. Surely, a place such as the SERF - frequented by many students on a daily basis - offers some type of surveillance via cameras or other measures, especially considering the amount of clothing and other important materials often left unattended to during one's workout. One would think such a facility would offer archives of recordings pinpointing any thieves, should one return to their pile to find something missing. Especially with the amount of students who come to the SERF directly after class, the likelihood of having backpacks and textbooks stolen is extremely high.
With students leaving somewhat important belongings in the public eye of others who cannot assume to be trusted, it seems like a no-brainer for there to be even the cheapest form of security. This is something I assumed until last week, when it was brought to my attention that my roommate's winter jacket was stolen in the main weight room. Upon leaving and checking the location where he left it, his jacket was gone. While this created a brief state of panic and irritation, he figured upon checking surveillance tapes with the staff or police, this would in time be solved.
Upon meeting with the staff and speaking with UW Police on the telephone, he was informed that there are no surveillance cameras at any location in the weight room, despite the potential for something to be stolen at any given point. While the police offered to continue some form of search for the culprit, there was obviously no form of identification or mild description considering there was no image to look at. While this was not obvious to law enforcement, my roommate had not the slightest idea what the perpetrator looked like because he was busy exercising - an explicable reason why his jacket was stolen.
While it is reasonable to be shocked at the audacity displayed by the coat thief - considering for all he or she knew, the owner of the jacket could have been directly next to him/her while he/she grabbed it - it is undoubtedly ignorant and tactless to have a university-trained facility without any form of surveillance. UW-Madison often addresses safety issues far too passively until they actually occur. Even when they do occur, it still takes more than the appropriate amount of time for them to modify their actions and improve the overall safety of this campus and city. Certainly this incident was not the first.
While it can be argued that there are lockers available, this should not be the university's excuse to lack any form of simple surveillance. In all honesty, how difficult would it be to install even one camera in the main weight room? As an additional question, how expensive would it be? The answer to both is clearly not very. This is not a question of having enough cameras, but a question of having any. According to all of the supervisors my roommate spoke with, there is not one in the entire building, which is, in regards to the recent spree of crimes and the amount of tuition we as a student body pay, nothing short of ridiculous.
Dan Josephson is a senior majoring in political science and legal studies. Please send responses to opinion@dailycardinal.com.
