Ali Morrison ~ Assistant News Editor
In recent weeks, the University of Lynchburg has reported several trespassing violations including a stolen car and a reportedly “suspicious” person in the Knight-Capron library.
The institution is surrounded by local neighborhoods and has an open campus this is accessible to the wider Lynchburg community.
Potential trespassers are deemed “suspicious” by the person reporting an incident, and Campus Safety and Security does not have criteria for what makes a person suspicious or not.
Esteban Soto, chief of Safety and Security says, “There are no characteristics that a person must meet to be suspicious. We respond to all calls, assess the situation and then take whatever action necessary.”
All visitors are first given a warning to leave if they are causing a distraction, and if this order is not followed, the visitor is arrested.
Although recent issues have been resolved by Campus Safety and Security, some students are still worried.
Community Assistant and senior, Abigail Lawrence says, “As a girl living alone, I think that it’s really scary that there has been an increase of trespassers on campus.”
Campus Safety and Security can be reached in the case of an emergency at (434) 544-5555.
Can you clarify exactly what open campus means? There’s no gates or check in process, but it is private property – is it posted that only students, employees, etc are allowed on the grounds? Or is the campus literally open to the public?