Perspective of safety from a Campus Safety Officer
Zeriq Lolar, Staff Writer
With the hustle and bustle of the Wingate University school year, it can be very hectic for students and faculty. Although, it is hectic for these individuals, campus safety can be hectic also.
Wingate University has had its population go up and down the past years, but for the 2016-2017 school year it has been very evident that the population is flooding with students. With limited parking spots, and smaller cafeteria, Wingate has been trying to expand due to its overflow of individuals. This however can attract a lot of crime due to more vehicles around campus and limited parking spots.
Wingate University Chief of Campus Safety Michael Easley reacted to the increase of students. Easley said, “The calls for service are a lot more than we normally deal with, nothing bad though, but with the number of freshman that we have coming in it was a lot to handle at once, so we had to bring in some new officers for traffic control and answer calls for service.”
The chief also gave some good advice and insight on safety for cars as students look for parking spots, especially at night to prevent break-ins. Easley said, “I would suggest that you park in well-lit areas so your car is visible, keep your car locked don’t leave any valuables in view, and always report any suspicious activity.”
Due to recent events in Charlotte, there have protests and rioting that have caused lots of damage to the city of Charlotte. With Wingate only being 30 miles down the road from Charlotte there have been rumors that there was going to be rioting or protests on campus.
Chief Easley shared what his plan would be if that were to occur. “Unfortunately we have had some rumors that these things might happen on campus, I immediately got with our command team and met with local law enforcement and had a plan in place if in the event something were to occur. Thankfully nothing happened, we actually had a prayer vigil and some of the campus safety officers participated in the vigil. We have a great community at this University and we like to think of it as one big family.”
Craziness might be happening right in our backyard, however, the students and faculty of Wingate University can feel very safe, especially when Chief Michael Easley and Wingate Police are around to protect and serve.
Edited by: Sara Gunter
Wingate Triangle 