There is never a dull moment on N.C. A&T’s campus, specifically when it comes to the events that are offered. We are the biggest HBCU and attract a plethora of people due to our outstanding academics and well-known parties.
I wish I could say that we only attract people who aim to gain an excellent education combined with an exceptional experience. However, that is not the case. Many local Greensboro residents seem to be very curious about the campus and what it has to offer, which has caused adverse outcomes.
In the last two years, there has been an increase in shootings on A&T’s campus and the surroundings. Many locals like to come on campus and blend in with college students. They seem most apparent during big events like GHOE, Aggie Fest and other events and parties.
As A&T is an open campus, there are not a lot of things police officers can do in regards to detaining them or banning them. However, they still plan to do their best to keep students safe.
“It is a little different than last year. We close off John Mitchell at a certain time of the night,” said Darrin Davis, assistant chief of A&T’s police department. “We also try to close off the area to the student center so it won’t get congested [because] the locals like to come in and hang out.”
Davis also believes that the locals prey on students, causing the police department to initiate more precautions to keep students safe. The communication center has a new security system with cameras they use to monitor.
As more shootings and various situations occur, it has increased concern with parents. Parents send their kids to school to receive an education. They put faith in the school and their safety system.
When locals come to parties, many people feel uncomfortable and do not want to attend. There have been countless times when parties that students have paid for had to get shut down due to an argument or weapons.
“I don’t mind them at parties, but at times they throw off the vibes with the drama they bring,” said Taylor Cook, a senior kinesiology student. “Sometimes I fear for my safety because they do end up shooting during the parties, but I do feel irritated because it is a waste of my money when they shoot because the parties get shut down.”
Last GHOE, there was an influx of shootings, making students feel uncomfortable from going outside, partying and attending events. During this time, many event promoters posted to social media and said they added extra security to make students feel safer.
They have continued this trend this semester in terms of enforcing security and bringing in additional help to make everyone feel safer. This is not only affecting students, but it is also affecting business.
Compared to last semester there has been an influx of security on campus, specifically in the student center. There have been pros and cons to this decision. No one passed away this GHOE, which is a huge pro. However, the security they hired was absent during a critical time.
During GHOE, the campus was vandalized with different terms about Palestine and genocide that have been highlighted in the news these past months, and officers quickly had to cover it up due to the events taking place that week.
They obviously put more money into having security on campus for almost 24 hours a day, and, interestingly, they missed people’s graffiti on campus. In my opinion, the extra security has not made a huge difference. It seems like the only reason we have security on campus is for them to be able to write it in their monthly update to parents and students.
However, students can connect with the Student Government Association if they have any questions or concerns about campus, the security and how they plan to manage it.
Kylie Rice, the Attorney General on A&T’s Student Government Association executive board, focuses on students and student conduct cases. Moreover, she acts as a liaison between university police and students by frequently meeting with Chief Cherry, where they talk about safety on our campus and what is happening with UPD.
“SGA is a Student Government Association, and our job is to advocate on behalf of students to administration. So whenever there is a student evolved issue, we often expect students to come to this place and lead them to the direct person to talk to, said Jasmine Amaniampong, SGA President. “Because I serve as SGA President, I am a counterpart of Chancellor Martin. Because I serve on the Board of Trustees often when there are issues, it’s not a Chancellor Martin issue because there are many people underneath who solve issues.”
Your main point of contact to bring up any concerns is SGA. You may also attend the Board of Trustees meetings, where the SGA president discusses problems students are having and discovers ways to tackle them while offering other ideas. These meetings occur every two months. For more information, please go to BOT.NCAT.EDU.
