by Josh Wilson

Greensboro College has been fortunate to be a significantly safe and secure campus for decades. Unfortunately, on October 4, at approximately 3:55 a.m., Greensboro College went into a campus lockdown. According to Greensboro College Communications, an altercation on campus in the West Hall men’s residence involved two Greensboro College students and three alleged assailants who were not affiliated with Greensboro College. A weapon was fired inside the residence hall, but luckily, no injuries resulted from the weapon discharge. 

Situations like this remind us that it is critical for students and staff to be familiar with our safety procedures on campus for incidents like this one. I had the chance to speak with JaJuan Givens, a Resident Assistant at Greensboro College who lives in West Hall. After asking him how he ensures the safety of students in West Hall, he said, “I make sure I recognize everyone in the hall, and if I do not recognize them, I ask if they are a guest and which resident they are visiting. So, when I see them again, I know who they are visiting.” Givens’s role as an RA is to host programs within the residence hall or around campus. He also ensures that the students follow the residence hall rules and student conduct at all times, but most importantly, he monitors the safety of students on campus and is a great resource for students who need help. 

Another vital resource on campus for student safety is campus security. The Collegian had the chance to speak with Officer Michael Farmer of campus security. After asking what he does to ensure the safety of the Greensboro College campus, he said, “we work closely with Residence Assistants and Residence Hall Directors to ensure the safety of students in the residence halls. We patrol the campus grounds and all buildings on campus regularly. When not patrolling campus grounds, we monitor the surveillance cameras that have coverage of the entire campus.”  

It is evident that Greensboro College prioritizes student safety with the resources put in place, however, it is ultimately up to us as students to familiarize ourselves with Greensboro College emergency procedures and sign up for GC alerts via text and email. It is crucial that if you see something, you say something. Together, we can help this campus remain safe and secure because we are one Pride!