In the Oct. 31, 1989 issue of the Justice, an anonymous student wrote a letter to the editor titled, "Brandeis not as safe as it may seem." The author of the letter wrote, "I am writing this to make all Brandeis students aware that Brandeis is not as safe as it may seem. I know. I was attacked. Last weekend, right on South Street. I managed to escape unharmed physically, but emotionally, what happened has affected me more deeply than I could ever have imagined."While this frightful incident occurred more than 20 years ago, I am sure it was not unique to its time. While the University may have changed as an institution, the world can still be the same horrible place it was back then. Terrible things can happen to us, even within the confines of our campus in Waltham, Mass. The string of recent robberies reported in Usen Castle a week and a half ago is one such example. However, I am willing to wager that more crimes than that are committed at our university, and, for whatever reason, remain unreported and thus are not included in the police log.

How should we confront this dangerous world in which we live? Well, back in 1989, the University was in the midst of a large-scale initiative to boost campus security. That 1989 issue of the Justice details the accomplishments of a newly named director of Public Safety, Joseph C. McDonald (including the hiring of a detective sergeant, Ed Callahan, who now serves as the director of Public Safety). The issue of University police officers holding firearms was also up for debate; a column in the Forum section of the same issue argues that University police members should use guns (if they were to get them). Clearly, campus safety was a big issue for students 20 years ago, and the University made appropriate changes in response to student input.

But this should not be our current course of action. I know that some have suggested, as students did 20 years ago, that in the wake of recent crimes, it would be worth it to increase campus safety. Perhaps, they say, we should install more video cameras or even hire security guards to watch over buildings. If you ask me, though, we all need to take a deep breath and reassess the situation. There are multiple reasons why an increase in campus safety is unnecessary.

First of all, it's not as though we haven't made any recent improvements. In spring 2008, the University spent $100,000 purchasing firearms and training the Brandeis Police to operate them. Additionally, as of fall 2008, Public Safety officers have had the ability to send out short messages to alert the campus in case of emergency as well as to broadcast messages on office phones, plasma screens around campus and the University home page.

Secondly, a more extensive improvement of campus security would be an incredibly expensive endeavor. And if you haven't noticed, we are currently fairly low on funds. Last year, the University was forced to makes cuts to numerous academic programs in order to save money. Two years ago, we had the Rose Art Museum fiasco. Given current financial constraints, we simply cannot justify any additional improvements in campus safety.

However, there are those who may still claim that our safety is not worth even the smallest risk. They argue that we should cut other university programs and do whatever we have to in order to ensure the safety of every student. I would urge these alarmists, though, to calm down. Let's realize that we go to college in Waltham, and even though freakish incidents may happen from time to time-such as robberies in the Castle a week and a half ago or an assault 20 years ago-our school can still boast a safe and welcoming atmosphere. I am reminded of when I went on my initial tour of Brandeis as a perspective student; my tour guide related a story of how she forgot her backpack and hours later was able to retrieve it from the very same spot.

Furthermore, we should not undermine the capabilities of the Brandeis Police. According to the Department of Public Safety website, the department monitors the campus 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, with the use of "closed-circuit television coverage of specific public areas and parking lots." Also, the officers receive "formalized training in police sciences at the Massachusetts State Police Academy. . Each officer receives further specialized training through various federal, state and local criminal justice training centers. The department continually sponsors in-service training programs for its members to keep them abreast of the latest in medical and police science techniques." Additionally, every single campus police officer had to undergo physical, psychological and sensitivity training in order to be allowed to carry a gun on campus.

But even more important than all of these points is our individual responsibility to keep ourselves safe. It never hurts to keep a watchful eye or practice some common sense. The Castle robberies would never have likely happened had students simply locked their doors at night. Brandeis may be our home; however, we cannot allow ourselves to feel as safe here as we do in our houses.

We must simultaneously appreciate our campus' safe atmosphere and refuse to take it for granted. But it's obvious that we do not need additional campus safety to help us accomplish this.