College Against Student’s Safety

To the Editors:

Every morning while the shadow of darkness lingers, I run. I get up tired, confused, anxious, longing for the warmth of my bed, but I run. Struggling to dress appropriately for the cranky, cold Oberlin weather, jolted in the midst of dreams, by an unrelenting force that demands I run. With fierceness and speed I run with all my might praying that time would be on my side. I peep around walls and look over my shoulder to make sure the coast is clear, because I am determined not to get a ticket.

There are several students in my dorm who have cars and many of them I greet as they do the same cruel 6 a.m. ritual of moving cars. They stumble with half-opened eyes and very little alertness, walking like zombies to man cars with ice- frosted windows in the very small parking lot designated for the dorm. I am concerned because Oberlin College’s Safety and Security department orchestrates this unsafe practice when they sit and wait for the clock to strike 6:00.

We have no student parking at the Afrikan Heritage House. We have four parking spaces for visitors, two for staff, one 30-minute space, one space marked handicapped and three that are marked reserved. Since the snow ban has been in effect, we are not allowed to park our cars on the street between 2 a.m. and 6 a.m. Residents live with the fear of penalties for parking their car on our dorm lot over night. God forbid if the residents over sleep past the rush hour after a night of study because the Safety and Security office knows nothing about reasonable hours of operation. What I don’t get is what is wrong with parking in front of our dorm? The only alternative is the Conservatory parking lot, but since last year the student parking spaces have been reduced. Parking on the other side of campus is out of the question because if any damage is done to my car I will not know until late. I brought my car for safe transit after late night rehearsals and study groups because I found that Oberlin’s shuttles were unreliable. I also transport my friends to their dorms at night because the Oberlin shuttle is in high demand or the phone line is busy for hours at a time.
I am upset because I feel betrayed by a system that is supposed to ensure that my time at Oberlin is not threatened. But every morning, when I run out to move my car my safety is at risk. The threat of a boot, after a few offences, even if the tickets are paid, is very stressful. Never mind running into Safety and Security officials as they write tickets, but what about other random people who use the darkness as their playground, and what about the potential for accidents? I know of several cases where people almost hit Security cars because they were not alert during the morning madness. This is a cruel practice and exposes just how well Oberlin regards the safety of its students.

I paid $35 to register my car, to be in compliance with the rules of campus Safety and Security and to free myself from tickets. Why register under the pretense of receiving parking privilege when there is no privilege extended? But I have found that registering my car makes it faster for campus security to identify that I am a student and that they will get the ticket paid by placing the offence on my term bill should I neglect to pay it. This is an undercover industry on Oberlin’s campus and operates in the name of Safety and Security — you have got to be kidding. Oberlin’s Safety and Security has made no accommodations for the residents of the Afrikan Heritage House and their parking needs. If you ask me, Oberlin’s police should be cracking down on Oberlin’s Safety and Security Department because they are the true hustlers.

–Alisha Jones
Afrikan Heritage House resident
Double Degree junior