This semester, Saint Xavier students have not needed to use their student ID cards to gain entry into the school’s main buildings, a decision that has left some students questioning their safety on campus.
Angela Sarlas, the Student Government Association(SGA) Vice President for Communication, stated that “Students have suggested that having the doors open to ID access only would make them feel safer on campus. Students have not outwardly expressed that they feel unsafe on campus but that there are safety measures they wish were taken.”
Sarlas continued “Students feel that it is unsafe that a lot of classroom doors on campus do not have locks. Students have also voiced concern for the unlocked doors on campus.”
Last school year, swipe access was required to get into all buildings as a result of a Covid-19 mandate from Governor J.B. Pritzker on September 17, 2021 according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Executive Order 2021-241 stated that schools were able to “exclude students and school personnel from school premises when students or school personnel are a confirmed or probable case of Covid-19.”
Melvin Cornelius, Chief of Police at Saint Xavier University, stated that “During the COVID19 Pandemic, the buildings were restricted due to a mandate from the Governor’s Office. The intent was to prevent widespread infectious disease on campus. We didn’t modify our building hours, we simply have returned back to our previous Pre-COVID19 building hours.”
All buildings, with the exception of the Graham School of Management, Pacelli Hall, Rubloff Hall, McCarthy Hall, Morris Hall, and O’Brien residence halls, do not require swipe access during the day. However, the campus Starbucks located inside of Morris Hall does not require swipe access.
Cornelius stated that the Warde and Andrews Conference Center doors remain unlocked during the day to “facilitate night classes and offices that need to be accessible to the public such as Bursars and Registration.”
Cornelius added that “All Warde Academic Building doors are put on swipe access at 8:00 p.m. every evening, except for the main entrance which is set to 10:00 p.m. each night. We assign a Security Officer to the main entrance desk until 10:00 p.m. throughout the week.”
On November 2, members of the Xavierite news team went to confirm. At 8 p.m., the main entrance doors were still unlocked as was stated, but several doors that should have been locked were not. These doors were Warde Entrance 11, Warde Entrance 12, and Warde Entrance 19. Additionally, The Xavierite news team did not see a Public Safety Officer at the main entrance Information Desk as should have been.
Warde Entrance 11, the entrance near the quad that leads into the music performance space, was still unlocked at 8:46 p.m., as was Warde Entrance 12 at 8:48 p.m. and Warde Entrance 19 at 8:09 p.m.
The Information Desk, where the Public Safety officer should have been, was also empty at 8:36 p.m., 8:40 p.m., and 8:50 p.m.
The Xavierite news team followed up on November 8,. Warde Entrance 11 was still unlocked at 9:22 p.m. and Warde Entrance 12 was still unlocked at 9:23 p.m.
The news team also found that Warde Entrance 13 was unlocked at 9:24 p.m. and that Warde Entrance 15 was unlocked at 9:26 p.m.
Warde Entrance 11 was still unlocked at 10:14 p.m., as was Warde Entrance 12. Warde Entrance 13 was still unlocked at 10:12 p.m., Warde Entrance 15 was still unlocked at 10:11 p.m.
The Information Desk was also empty at 9:58 p.m.
The main entrance doors were unlocked after 10 p.m., the only doors that locked were the ones directly next to the swipe access scanners. The main entrance doors remained unlocked until 10:28 p.m., when a Public Safety Officer came to lock the remaining five doors.
Some students have expressed their concerns over the open-campus that no swipe access allows.
Junior Shealynn Scott stated “ If someone wanted to cause harm, though… there’s not much stopping them. Having doors unlocked is convenient when a student forgets their IDs, but it comes at the cost of keeping strangers out of our buildings. There are middle schoolers and elderly wanderers alike casually walking down the halls of SXU since the doors are practically open for them to walk through.”
Scott continued, “In some ways, I feel safe on campus, but it has more to do with the climate of the student body than any actual protective measures. I don’t fear violence from any of my peers simply because they don’t seem like violent people.”
Students have also acknowledged the importance of having an open-campus, but have also come up with solutions for this issue.
Scott stated that “Moving from a fully open to a more semi-open campus where strangers can’t wander the grounds at all hours of the day.”
SGA has also made these issues aware to the administration.
Sarlas stated that “SGA discussed these concerns with Chief Cornelius during our bi-annual meeting with Dr.[Laurie M.] Joyner.”
Cornelius stated that “Our goal is to provide a safe learning, working, teaching and living community for all who come to work, study, visit and reside on campus.”
About Post Author
