…when it comes to the safety of JMU
The majority of our mothers and fathers encouraged us as children, and now as young adults, to step forward and to tell the truth. Neglecting to do so, whether it be a seemingly little white lie or matter that is more serious, always seems to come back to haunt an individual or group who withholds the truth. Such is the case regarding the incident in Jackson Hall on Oct. 28 when an “alleged” group of people was supposedly found sleeping in a classroom in Jackson Hall by an unsuspecting janitor.
Depending on which version of the story you heard before it was reported by The Breeze, the janitor was either robbed, held at gun point or had his picture taken by the intruders before the intruders left. Due to the late response of the university concerning this situation, the event is the latest news on campus—even though it happened nearly three weeks ago.
An invasion on our campus by an outside group of people who had the potential to harm a person of the JMU community warrants enough for a major response by university authorities—let alone a messy Timely Notification to alert students. As the university tries to contain panic by remaining silent, itis creating the opposite effect. Students are forced to assume the worst because they must rely on stories heard from a friend of a friend because JMU refuses to open its mouth and speak.
After the tragic shooting at Virginia Tech last April, JMU is taking many measures to ensure that students are aware of possible dangers on campus. The administration is working hard to provide students with alert messages which broadcast across campus as well as notification in the way of phone calls and text messages. What the administration does not understand as it prepares for worse-case scenarios is that we are already experiencing them.
The incident that occurred on Oct. 28 some time in the early morning (but was not reported until Oct. 30 by a third party) is on the minds of Harrisonburg residents, staff and students. JMU police are remaining completely silent about this issue, making it extremely difficult for students to find out what truly happened and thus more difficult to report the facts. This tight-lipped attitude has made matters worse on campus as rumors are spreading like high school gossip as to what actually happened that day. The fact that campus authorities neglected to acknowledge that this event happened in a timely manner is not only putting faculty and students in danger—it is also hindering students’ rights to know about illegal activity on campus.
I personally have been on campus late at night on weekends and on multiple occasions have easily slipped inside a building to use the bathroom or escape from the cold before walking home. I cannot help but wonder what if I or any other student had been the one to walk into that room in Jackson, what would have happened? If the university hold information from us this long about an incident that is so serious and concerning to all of our safety—what else are they neglecting to tell the truth about? I urge the administration to give JMU students the information we deserve not only as members of this community but as adults that must be informed. Imposing ignorance in this case is in no way bliss, it is withholding valuable information to students’ safety that is priceless and could prevent another devastating school tragedy.
Sarah Delia is a junior English and art history major.
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