House passes safety resolution
Needs focus on police patrolling

By Melissa Christensen
Staff Reporter

The House of Student Representatives passed a resolution Tuesday encouraging TCU administration to take a more keen interest in the safety needs of students by revising parking regulations and improving police patrolling.

Photo by Jonathan Sampson - Staff Reporter Brian Casebolt, committee chairman for academic affairs, addresses the House of Student Representatives Tuesday on parking issues brought up by the resolution to insure security on campus.

“The motivation came from the idea that even though we recognize TCU is a safe campus overall, there is always room for improvement,” Milton Daniel Hall representative Chris Mattingly said. Mattingly, a freshman business major, is a member of the House University Affairs Committee, which wrote the resolution.

The resolution suggested means to make parking more readily available near campus housing to limit the amount of time residents may spend walking alone:

n modify Froggie-Five-O hours to begin at sunset each evening.

n keep the visitor lot in front of the Student Center open to Main Campus parking on weekends.

n develop loading zones near residence halls.

“We want to allow students to park closer to the (residence halls), thus having a shorter, safer walk,” Mattingly said.

Liana Matin, a junior economics major and Foster Hall resident, said she often worries about her safety when she parks in the Daniel-Meyer Coliseum lot at night because of the distance she has to walk by herself.

“There is always a safety issue when it’s dark,” she said. “I know you’re supposed to be able to call Froggie-Five-O, but Froggie-Five-O is never there.”

Pam Christian, who is in charge of Froggie-Five-O operations at the TCU Police Department, could not be reached for comment regarding the response time of the security vehicles.

Matin said for her own safety she supports House’s suggestions to develop loading zones and opening the visitor lot on weekends

However, TCU Police Sgt. Michael Hanvey said the visitor lot is only closed for specific reasons, either at the chancellor’s request or when a truck needs to make a delivery to the Student Center. He said otherwise the lot is open for parking on the weekends.

In addition to student safety, the resolution addressed security of vehicles, citing 55 break-ins on TCU property in 2000. The resolution asked administrators to ensure that TCU Police patrol all areas of campus from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. and, in off hours, focus patrolling on overnight parking lots to prevent break-ins.

Hanvey monitors the night shift and said he could not comment on daytime operations. He said at night, three officers continually patrol the campus.

“We move around to keep from falling asleep,” he said. “It’s not feasible to put an officer in a specific parking lot.”

Mattingly said that while the committee recognized the efforts of TCU Police to create a safe atmosphere, total security is the ultimate goal. He cited a recent survey of 875 students in The Main that reported only a small percentage of students said they felt very safe on campus.

“We believe each student deserves the right to feel that extra security,” he said. “We can never do too much to ensure safety for the students.”

Melissa Christensen
m.s.christensen@student.tcu.edu