In response to concerns about recent trespassing incidents on campus, Campus Safety assures that there is no safety risk to students or faculty.
Trespassing is not a new issue on campus, nor is it a cause for students to be concerned about their personal safety, according to Chief John Ojeisekhoba of Campus Safety. Ojeisekhoba estimates that a minimum of 500 incidents of trespassing occur on campus per year. Most of these instances involve individuals who wander onto campus and commit petty theft, but do not have motivation to harm students, Ojeisekhoba said.
CAMPUS SAFETY'S RESPONSE
In response to these recent trespassing incidents and student concerns, Campus Safety has taken additional steps to ensure student safety. Campus Safety considers any individual that arrives on campus without permission a trespasser.
“These are not trespassers, in our opinion, that will come and hurt people physically, but these are people that sometimes take advantage of students leaving their stuff unattended,” Ojeisekhoba said .
Biola’s campus is ranked number 4 in the nation for safety, according to Ojeisekhoba. Ojeisekhoba said that Campus Safety’s procedures ensure that Biola maintains this safety ranking. These procedures include frequent monitoring of the 160 on-campus security cameras to spot trespassers.
“I tell my officers to make contact with people a lot. If they see someone who they feel has no business here, they’ve got to make contact. If they don’t have business here, we give them a hard time, so they think twice about coming back,” said Ojeisekhoba.
The guard gatehouses on La Mirada Blvd. and Biola Ave. stand as the first line of defense to individuals arriving on campus, according to Ojeisekhoba. Gate guards have specific policies to ensure that trespassers are not allowed on campus.
“I have to make sure that they’re meeting a student here, or else I’m not allowed to let them in. We’re supposed to take as many precautions as possible,” said Anna Smith, a sophomore Christian ministries major who works as a gate guard on Biola Ave.
Trespassers usually enter on foot, without a vehicle, so they have policies in place for these situations as well, said Olivia True, a senior communication disorders major who works as a guard at the La Mirada Blvd. gate.
“If I see someone walking by my gatehouse that I think shouldn’t be walking on campus, I would call an officer and they would be the ones who would handle that situation,” True said.
STUDENTS BEGIN LOCKING DOORS
Some students have taken extra precautions to ensure their safety. Kinesiology freshman Alexis Lee said that prior to the recent trespassing instances, she would leave her door unlocked. Now her habits have changed.
“We do lock our doors every time now…We lock it while we’re sleeping and when we leave. Usually we never leave it unlocked,” Lee said.
Sarah Swanson, junior elementary education major and resident advisor for Alpha East, remains confident of her safety on campus, but also understands why other students feel concerned.
“I’m not really concerned because I feel like I’ve been well-trained by Campus Safety, but I know a lot of girls on my floor have been concerned about it. So I’ve had a lot of conversations with them about what to do and how to be safe to calm them down,” Swanson said.
During RA training prior to the new semester, Ojeisekhoba spoke with resident directors and RA’s about safety, according to Swanson.
Other students agree that trespassing poses a problem on campus, but not an immediate personal safety concern.
“It does bring up concerns, the ‘Biola Bubble’ has been broken. There’s people who are scary out there, but I feel relatively safe still,” said Jared Tajima, a sophomore business major.
Many students have confidence that Campus Safety continues to ensure their security.
“I think it’s somewhat of a concern, but Campus Safety does a good job of letting everyone know,” said Spencer Pierschbacher, a junior intercultural studies major.
