November 25, 2013 • 9 Campus
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building, adding that each residence hall has an accessible basement. “In the situation on [Nov. 17], [students] would have gone to the lower level of the building and away from any exposed glass until the alert system directed us to do otherwise,” Collins said. “But because there was not that direction, there was not a need to evacuate students to the basement.” Despite several requests for comment, the management companies for the University Center and The Flats at East-West University, dorm facilities that house Columbia students, have not returned calls as of press time. The management of 777 S. State declined to comment on its safety procedures. Koverman said he could not directly comment on the Residence Life procedures, but if students are
“
go down to the lowest level, because we couldn’t handle the capacity and that might in and of itself become a dangerous situation.” Koverman said he advises students to stay on the floor they are on and to avoid glass windows and open hallways, which can create wind tunnels if a tornado hits the building. Although some buildings lock their doors and do not allow people to go in or out of the buildings during tornadoes, Koverman said the college would not do that. “We would never stop people from leaving in a weather emergency if that’s what they chose to do. They’re adults,” Koverman said. “But our officers would try to discourage someone from leaving.” He added that the office of Safety & Security is always monitoring the weather and keeps students as safe and informed the best they can through a collegewide plan.
Our basements wouldn’t handle that amount of people.”
in general campus buildings during a weather emergency they should not evacuate to basements because there is not sufficient space. “Our basements wouldn’t handle that amount of people,” Koverman said. “I think it’s much safer for them to move away from the windows as opposed to everyone try to
– Robert Koverman “We do have a plan and we continually monitor what’s happening,” Koverman said. “It’s a matter of paying attention to what the weather reports are and reacting to whatever we see, as well as what the city of Chicago is doing.” kdavis@chroniclemail.com
STOCK PHOTO
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security if they witness suspicious behavior. According to Koverman, the security team’s average response time is two minutes. Students should also install and activate GPS-locating software on their devices because it helps the security team find the items if they are stolen, Koverman said. “In nearly every incidence of thefts that occur in our buildings … certainly someone has seen something that’s suspicious,” Koverman said. “We really encourage students, staff and faculty to call 1111 [for campus security] if they see something suspicious, even if they’re not sure.” In light of the theft in her class-
room, Heller said she keeps the door locked and asks that students leave the room minimally. Although security helped her complete a crime report, she said it is surprisingly easy for unidentified persons to enter Columbia buildings , Heller added. “It’s an awful feeling to get robbed, especially in a room where I should feel secure surrounded by people,” Heller said. “I don’t know what the solution is when you have thousands of people coming and going every hour that belong here, so one or two people who slip through.” Jennifer Wolan, sophomore journalism major and social media editor at The Chronicle, said her phone was stolen Nov. 6 in the 33 E. Congress Parkway Building. Wolan said she saw a young male near her desk,
seemingly in need of assistance. After briefly leaving her desk unattended, Wolan said the phone was gone when she returned. Campus security arrived promptly to assist her with the report, but she said she declined to call the police. Wolan said she is more cautious about leaving her personal items unattended following the phone and that it would be helpful to prevent future theft if the campus buildings were as secure as the residence halls. “I think security did a really good job of coming really fast and [notifying] other buildings,” Wolan said. “I keep my stuff on lock, and I hate that feeling that someone’s going to take something.” twalkmorris@chroniclemail.com
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