Nowadays, it is not just the student population that increases on campus, another population has also risen: “locals,” which many Rams define as Winston-Salem city residents who do not attend Winston-Salem State University, but who use the campus as a “hot-spot” or local hang-out.
Because of the recent burglaries and thefts that have occurred in some of the dorms, some students are concerned about the uncomfortable encounters they have had with locals, while others are concerned about seemingly unsafe visitors loitering on campus.
“You can’t tell the difference between the locals and the ones that aren’t locals, because sometimes they perpetrate with book bags like they go to school here,” Amanada Mitchell, senior nursing major said.
It seems as the campus grows, so does locals’ accessibility to the campus, causing a common student body concern of to how to keep themselves and their belongings safe. WSSU Police Chief William Bell sent out a campus-wide memo in October regarding the issue of safety and the presence of locals. The memo had some good tips for student to help keepthemselves and their belongings safe.
“Keep your room door locked at all times, when you are inside and when you are gone,” Bell said. Many students fail to lock their doors when they are in their rooms, or leave their rooms even to go down the hall for a moment.
“Never leave your door unlocked, no matter what you are doing and especially when you go to bed at night. If you leave the room and your roommate is asleep, lock the door behind yourself,” Bell said.
Another way unwanted locals or visitors get into buildings is by following students when they enter the dorms. “Never allow a stranger to follow you into a residence hall when you enter. This is one main way locals get access into the dormitories,” Bell said.
Some students leave their door unlocked because they or their roommate misplace their keys. Instead of paying $75 for another key, they leave their room doors open. “Don’t be embarrassed about losing a key and try to hide it by leaving your room door open for one another. If you lose your key you should notify housing immediately,” Bell said.
Students should take every precautious step necessary to protect themselves and their belongings because responsibility is key.