Campus Safety long - Research Proposal Example

These statistics so eloquently illustrate a grim situation, where students are not safe inside the campus and this predicament is especially threatening to female students. During earlier days, college campuses have been perceived as “ivory towers” where students received immunity from the evils of the outside world but since the 1980s the “image began to change” (Fernandez and Lizotte 29). However, over the course of time, this notion has changed due to the trend of increasing crimes within the campus.

Obviously, the reason for economic crimes is poverty and people from the locality of a campus commit such crimes on the students for financial gains. Hate crimes, discrimination and behaviors such as binge drinking, which is strongly associated with “sexual assaults,” are the causes of violent crimes within the campus (Crime on Campus 97). Similarly, the lack of proper systems to monitor security within campus such as security cameras, alarms etc as well as the presence of antisocial elements in the proximity of the campus can also encourage crimes.

The administration and faculty in our campus are aware of the situation but, due to financial constraints they have not been able to implement adequate measures for effectively providing full security within the campus. Thus, securing campus perimeters, installing “physical access control mechanisms” including interior locks for classrooms and controlled access locks for dormitories etc are some of the traditional means of security in the campuses (Securing Our Future 8). On the other hand, recent trends in security measures suggest the use of technology in securing the campus by installing devices such as “surveillance cameras” and alarm systems or assigning the responsibility to private security agencies (8).

However, these measures involve higher rates of investment and most of the campuses do not have adequate funding to support such endeavors. The Cost of Installing Adequate Security in Campuses and the Benefits: While sophisticated “Physical Security Solutions” are available in the market, college authorities often become constrained to use them due to the cost factor (Campus Safety 5). Details of security systems are attached as Annexure-I. Evidence suggests that the cost for installing an integrated security can be anywhere from US $ 1,868,116 to 2,464,693 for a “145,313 square-foot building” (Creating Safe Campuses 10).

Estimates further indicate that the cost of campus security at major colleges or universities averages to “$ 1.2 million to 2 million per year” (Fickes par.6). Reputed brands such as Samsung, PolarizUSA, Logitech Alert, Panasonic etc are the leading market players in this segment and they can supply bulk as well as individual, customized security solutions. The following measures are, however, suggested for implementation as they can fetch the benefits listed against them: Security Cameras: A standard video surveillance camera, which can be connected to the “security gate over its own fiber-optic link” costs about US $ 8,000 per piece (University Cost- 1).

This measure, however, can provide proper security within the campus as anybody making a wrong move will be caught on the tape and will be held accountable for further prosecution. This will create fear