How safe is YOUR dorm?

Last semester, two students in the Boise State residence halls had their physical safety put in jeopardy. Another student’s belongings literally disappeared over Christmas break. As dorm safety becomes increasingly important on campuses across the nation, Boise State administrators offer advice on how students can stay safe.

At the beginning of last semester, Boise State student Andrew Mitzel lived in the University Suites located at University and Chrisway Drive. He shared this four-bedroom residence with two of his fraternity brothers and another non-Greek student. This student had been assigned to the fraternity suite when a fourth brother could not be found to occupy the remaining room.

One Thursday night, the new roommate returned to the apartment intoxicated.

According to Mitzel, when he told his roommate to go to bed, the roommate became angry and threw a coffee table at him. Mitzel went to get security although he was not seriously injured.

“He had completely trashed our room while we went to go get security,” Mitzel said. “He threw eggs all over the place and threw our TV across the room.”

Mitzel reported that the resident director, two resident advisors and a security officer were called to the scene. When the instigator returned to the suite, he was issued a ticket for battery, and was allowed to remain in the suite. Mitzel and the other residents were asked to find somewhere else to stay temporarily.

The roommate was placed on temporary probation that Thursday night and, according to Mitzel, housing told him he couldn’t return to the dorms until Monday. Mitzel’s fraternity brothers informed him later that Friday their roommate had broken into the suite twice.

“I never got a call. No one ever told me he broke in twice,” Mitzel said. “On [the following] Thursday night, they finally got him out of there, and no one calls me to tell me he’s out and I can come back.”

A judiciary hearing took place one week later. Mitzel said he doesn’t know what happened to the student. He was instructed to tell somebody if his former roommate contacted him.

Mitzel is currently working with Associated Students of Boise State University Senate Pro Tempore Terry Hurless on a safety initiative that would help create a safer environment for Boise State students. The initiative involves collecting information concerning student safety – through anonymous e-mails – and developing a plan to integrate new ideas into existing campus safety policies. Hurless hopes to have this initiative underway in the next few weeks.

Another alcohol-fueled incident occurred last semester, when sophomore Joanna Doherty came back to her dorm in Chaffee Hall to find an angry and intoxicated student in the hallway. This student lived on Doherty’s floor.

According to Doherty, she and her roommate tried to calm him down, but he refused and began trying to pick fights with people. The police were called to the scene, and Doherty said he listened when the cops told him to go in his room. The student returned shortly after.

“I was just trying to get him to calm down,” Doherty said. “I was trying to hold him back, and he took my arm and twisted it behind my back trying to get to the cops.”

The police talked to the student, and the RD from Chaffee helped calm him down.

“I told the RD, ‘I do not want him going back to his room, because this is not right with him being really aggressive, yelling and launching at officers,’” Doherty said. “I said, ‘If he is going to be going back to his room I want to be notified.’”

Doherty returned to her room and when to bed. She found out the next morning that the student had been allowed back into his room.

“Nobody told me,” Doherty said. “I wouldn’t have minded if they had woken me up to tell me.”

Doherty has future plans to become a resident assistant.

“The main thing is limit their use [of] alcohol,” Director of University Security Bob Seibolt said, when asked what Boise State’s students could do to stay safe. “Most people have difficulty because they have been drinking.”

Alcohol is strictly prohibited in the campus residence halls.

Seibolt also encouraged students to be aware of their surroundings and to travel in groups.

“For the most part, within the resident hall community, it is a very safe environment,” Seibolt said.

Student Tory Nelson also lives in Chaffee, and has had a very positive experience in the Boise State resident community.

“I trust lots of people in the residence halls. No one’s going to go into someone’s room and steal their stuff,” Nelson said. “I think we’re all a little more mature these days and don’t need to worry about things like that . I feel pretty safe there.”

Nelson also said he had never heard of anyone being attacked in the dorms.

Ajay Rasmussen, a former resident of the Towers residence hall, left for Christmas break and returned to find that all his belongings had vanished. Rasmussen estimated that $6,000 of property had been taken. Everything had been removed including his blankets, toothbrush and shampoo.

“There wasn’t a single thing of his left in the room,” Ajay’s sister Rachel Rasmussen said. Only the two of the missing belongs were located, according to Rachel. Two of Ajay’s textbooks were located in a Chaffee closet.

“We have tried to contact nearly everyone, because nobody was really doing anything for him,” Rachel said.

The family said they contacted Ajay’s resident director, his resident advisor, Associate Director of University Housing Felice Otero, Executive Housing Director Jeff Hale and Boise State President Bob Kustra.

“‘Just wait, just bear with us.’ That’s all they’ve really told me so far,” Ajay said.

Hale explained that most complaints concerning dorm safety regarded people being allowed into the dorms. Most were not cases of violence between the residents. If a violent situation is reported, housing personnel will respond with police, or act as mediators of the argument.

“If it can’t be resolved, then we would reassign somebody, at least one person if not both, and set some expectations. Can they talk to one another? Can they be around each other? Those types of things,” Hale said.

If a student felt unsafe in returning to their room Hale said there are empty beds available, such as the show suite in the University Suites. The suite is the only residence on its floor, and Hale said it is always available if a student needs to be relocated.

“We’re pretty diligent about following up with both parties [involved in an incident],” Hale said. “Most obvious is the student that initiated the altercation. [They] will be followed up through the conduct process, but also, trying to make sure the recipient of violence is okay. We certainly would make sure they’re okay and feeling safe.”

Hale advised students to know their neighbors, and always make sure to lock their doors.

“Report things that appear to be suspicious; view the staff, campus security and police as helpful extensions of campus life. That is our primary role,” Hale said.

Hale could not comment on any student’s specific situation.

Housing currently has three security guards, who are paid to patrol the housing community. Resident directors are also on-call 24/7, and resident assistants are on call from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

KATIE HORNER
News Writer

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