Linfield is full of hardworking and outgoing students who look to excel in their studies, but is the campus the safest it could be?
With the recent incident of a woman being attacked by an anonymous man, could Linfield find a way to ensure the safety of its students? Yes it can.
Linfield has plenty of emergency call boxes located in key areas where a potential emergency might occur, but a majority of campus lacks adequate lighting. There have been numerous times that I have walked past Newby Hall towards the President’s house and thought to myself how fearful I was of walking that path. Luckily, I was able to bring a car from home and didn’t have to face the uncertainty of a potential threat.
Though I have the luxury of driving a car, I understand that for those who walk, they still are not protected. If there were more light posts and better quality bulbs, potential criminals would not venture out of dark hiding places.
It is assumed that most crimes occur in the evening hours and it is because of that I think there should be more precautions taken towards the safety of the student body specifically during the evening hours. I am not saying to impose a curfew, but to allow students to fully be aware of our surroundings.
There have been times where I have walked from Campbell Hall towards Seven Eleven and either the lights were extremely dull or there was no lighting at all. It would be extremely easy for anyone to hide behind a tree or under the steps of Pioneer Hall without a single person noticing. Needless to say it is almost safer to walk down Linfield Avenue and go to 76, even though the walk is longer.
In order for the student body and even the McMinnville community to be aware of their surroundings there has to be adequate lighting for us to even see. I have heard the argument that people should walk in groups; I agree with that, but what happens when no one will go with you and you are by yourself? I know CPS is not covering every single acre every hour of the day, but to cut down on potential incidents, there should be some form of added security.
I have walked around campus and counted the amount of security cameras. None are located in the areas where crime could potentially happen the most. I understand that security cameras are probably not in Linfield’s budget, but it would make me feel safer knowing someone is watching over me.
Not only would that cut down on potential crime, but it would also provide campus security with potential evidence towards drug and alcohol use. In general it would make Linfield a safer campus and a safer campus means a happier community.

Alec Wisthoff