NYU RAs Demand Better Response To Dorm Security Failures

by Nikki Marala

This story was originally published on New York University’s Washington Square News.

Resident assistants working at NYU dorms are demanding a response from the university to a series of demands alleging that little has been done in response to recent lapses in dorm security. A group of RAs who have signed a petition are demanding that NYU provide them additional security training, commit to prompt communication deadlines in the event of an incident, and end a “gag order” policy that has prevented them from speaking to the media.

Last year, NYU saw a number of incidents in which trespassers were able to evade dorm security and enter dorm facilities, going as far as to enter student rooms while they were asleep. Four intruders were reported at Coral Tower, Alumni Hall, Third Avenue North and Lafayette Hall in November alone. Weeks afterward, President Andrew Hamilton ordered a review of dorm security that resulted in security upgrades, including an increased security presence and the installation of additional surveillance cameras in residential buildings on campus. Several RAs said they have been at the forefront of these dangerous situations without receiving necessary training or compensation.

Each year at NYU, over 250 students are selected as RAs and assigned to live and work in one the university’s 20 undergraduate residence halls. They manage a range of responsibilities, including resolving conflicts between residents, organizing programming, documenting policy violations, being on call for overnight incidents, responding to emergencies before a professional response team arrives on site, patrolling hallways and working in the mailroom or resource center.

Read the rest of the story at Washington Square News.