OUR VIEWS Consensus Opinion

Tech's recently acquired North Avenue Apartments complex has been struck by a number of crimes since its opening at the beginning of the Fall semester. Cars have been stolen and burglaries have occurred, but most egregiously, a resident was a victim of robbery at knifepoint in an apartment elevator last week.

These crimes have been occurring in spite of the fact that Tech has put a police substation at the complex and hired a security firm to patrol the facilities. We believe a number of factors are responsible for the rather high crime rate, and fortunately the vast majority of these can be addressed with relative ease.

Complex residents cite a number of obvious safety concerns. The doors open automatically upon BuzzCard proximity, and stay open much longer than necessary. Students can hold the door open themselves if they need to; the current arrangement allows stragglers to follow residents into the dorms.

Students have also questioned the lack of protection provided by the security company. The guards are frequently observed sitting around and idly speaking to one another rather than patrolling. This undermines the comfort level of the students who live in the North Avenue Apartments.

Most shocking, however, is the decision by housing to take down the gate that Georgia State had installed at the entrance to the complex, apparently because "no other buildings [at Tech] are gated." It seems State had put the gates up for a reason; one cannot help but wonder whether anyone discussed these reasons before making the poor choice. Happily, it appears the gates will shortly be restored to their rightful place.

The recent incidents highlight the need for overall campus security. Tech has a reputation for being a very safe campus despite its urban location, and if the police cannot get a handle on the criminals at North Avenue, the perpetrators could grow bolder and begin committing crimes in more central parts of the campus. The Institute's reputation could easily be negatively impacted if parents develop concerns about the safety of their children living on campus, considering such a significant portion of available housing is now located at North Avenue.

However, the crimes make it apparent that students need to be alert and careful, regardless of where they are on campus. They should walk in groups after dark, take advantage of the Stingerette and keep in mind that walking around the North Avenue Apartments is somewhat more dangerous than walking around other parts of campus. Students should work cooperatively with the security force to ensure that North Avenue becomes as safe as the rest of campus.