By Kaliyah Witherspoon
Days after Grand Rapids Community College introduced a new safety plan to reduce entry points to campus buildings and lock exterior doors during the evenings, students seemed to be warming up to the new system.
The new system took effect Sept. 18, requiring students to swipe their RaiderCards to access most campus buildings after 7 p.m. Students say that they have not had any problems with the new policy or any trouble accessing the buildings.
Several students said they agreed with the new system, and wondered why it wasn’t applied at the start of the semester.
Hannah Rasmus, 19, of Grand Rapids, doesn’t have night classes this semester but did have them last semester. She said she likes the new policy as it makes it feel more secure and prevents random people from coming in.
“Yeah, this is one of the highest human trafficking places, so it feels safer having it, so only people who are supposed to be here are here,” Rasmus said.
Even though this was a big change, students are not reporting any adverse effects of the new system. There are even those others who were nonchalant about it and expressed how it didn’t matter.
Nevaeh Conde, 18, of Zeeland/Holland, an evening class student, expressed how it never bothered her whether GRCC added the new policy or not.
“…I’m just more of a laid-back person, but I don’t think it would have bothered me, I wouldn’t even notice,” Conde said.
This new policy has not only had a positive impact on students but also on teachers.
Susan Clemens is an evening class Professor teaching Integrated Reading and Writing (IRW) 97, 98, and 99 and pointed out how she feels safer at night knowing strangers can’t access the school while she teaches.
“I think when we didn’t have the policy, and I had a night class, there were way more people,” Clemens said. “and there were so many people in the building that it didn’t bother me, but I also, at night in the evening classes, always keep my door shut and locked, I do have an emergency phone number in my phone just in case. So I’m not saying I didn’t feel safe either way, but (as) I said before with less people being in the building I do think it’s a good safety precaution.”
Even though the policy is understandable for most, very few people agree with it.
Mike Light, a history professor at the Social Science Department, does not have an evening class this semester but has taught them in the past. Light goes on about how he doesn’t agree with the new policy.
“…It’s understandable, and it might be necessary, I don’t know how much I like it,” Light said. I don’t even like having to lock the classroom door while I’m inside lecturing, let alone having entire buildings locked off. I feel like the more that we restrict movement and access it feels less like an open college campus and less like a learning environment. But I also don’t want GRCC to be the next item in the news.”.
