This past week, the student body received the unnerving news that Whelan Security workers will no longer be staffing the residence hall desks in the evening and early morning hours. Instead, the desks will be staffed by student desk workers — with the catch being that they will only be there from the hours of 5 p.m. to 9 a.m. (excluding Griesedieck and Reinert), leaving the desks unattended during the daytime.

In the email sent out by SLU to inform the students of this change, the first line states, “Safety is a top priority.” Clearly, safety is not a top priority if SLU is willing to leave buildings unattended for a large portion of the day.

As a desk worker of Fusz Hall, I was appalled by the decision. We can all agree that this is a serious issue concerning safety of those living in the residence halls, but it is equally concerning for the student workers.

Unlike the Whelan workers, I do not have the privilege of being able to sleep all day. How am I supposed to have the energy to stay attentive at the desk during the wee hours of the morning and then also in my 8 a.m. class the next morning? My purpose of attending this university is the assurance that I will be getting a quality education. However, with this job, my academic performance will diminish because I will have unhealthy, irregular sleep habits.

And what about the continual reminders to never walk alone at night? I’m supposed to depend on DPSSS to escort me? Ha! Good one. I’d rather put my faith in being able to outrun a criminal than having DPSSS there to protect me. Currently, DPSSS is supposed to check in at the desk once an hour. However, in my 10 hours of work a week, I see them maybe twice. So how can I expect them to deliver me to work on time safely?

Finally, let’s not overlook the email a few days ago about a male student getting beaten up outside of Fusz right next to West Pine. Glad the University is willing to put me in that same position on a regular occurrence.

There is a laundry list of problems with this new policy, but I think the main one is the fact that SLU not only considered the policy, but also passed it. SLU continually proves that their top priority is not safety but is rather image, wealth and rankings. Keep this up SLU, and our image will match that of the dangerous city we reside in. Think that will look good in the brochures?

– Gabriele Geerts is a junior in the Doisy College of Health Sciences.