Really?
I am really reading a DPS report about another creeper on campus? Yes, I am, because, over the past two weeks, two men who are not affiliated with Pepperdine have been caught harassing female students and even entering girl dorm halls. You can read all about it in the News section. There are even photos and complete descriptions of each man. Handy stuff when you’re trying to avoid such unsavory characters. Really, though.
I sincerely hope that the students affected by these scummy acts are able to feel safe again, seeking professional help if necessary. I also sincerely hope that those scummy persons who committed the scummy acts are dealt with to the full extent of their scummy damage. Or I just hope they never set a foot or a toe or a micro-particle on campus again. Them nor their friends nor anyone like them.
Now, I like to think of myself as a fairly fearless person. Speed? No problem, faster the better, especially on a jet-ski. Heights? Well, as a person of shorter stature, I welcome the opportunity to ascend above and beyond. Creepy crawlies? Other than slugs, I see every creature as my equal…until I squish them of course. I guess I am trying to say that I am not easily unsettled. And yet, the emails that I keep receiving from the Public Relations Office that bear “A Message From DPS” are indeed unsettling. I’m not going to lie: this whole thing has made me think twice before venturing beyond my cozy dorm lobby (complete with new couches and a broken fireplace). I may or may not like to munch on veggie chips from the HAWC from time to time, but I don’t want to risk running into suspicious persons on the way. Really, I don’t.
And, really, how are these suspicious persons getting on campus? Pepperdine is supposed to be safe. I’m no math whiz but two creepers in two weeks plus violated students does not equal safe. I don’t know if DPS is slacking when they scan people through the entrance gates or if these guys are getting on campus via secret passageways. I don’t know their ways. And I’m not a public safety specialist, but some part of me thinks that the thousands of dollars we students pay to attend college should at least keep creepers from threatening our physical as well as emotional wellbeing.
So, really, Pepperdine and DPS and everybody else handed the responsibility of securing our green grounds, let us vow to perform to beyond even the maximum of our ability to make sure the most recent past’s unfortunate events never happen again. I mean, personally, I’m thinking maybe we have a Star-Wars-inspired force field all around campus and including Duke’s so I can still go to Taco Tuesday. Really, they could just arm us with light-sabers… in the name of staying safe, of course. Really, I mean, really.
Is safety too much to ask? Really? Nope, not really.