Security around campus has been a concern for Temple University after the assault at Anderson Hall.
Gopalakrishnan Veeraswamy, an 81-year-old professor, was robbed in his office located on the second floor of Anderson Hall on Oct. 29. The professor was left with a number of head injuries, after being punched in his face during the attack.
“If you take a look at Temple University’s security reports and compare them with the security reports for other universities and colleges, you’ll find that Temple University’s campus is a very safe campus,” Temple’s spokesman Ray Betzner said. “There are sometimes however, events that take place like the incident that took place over at Anderson Hall.”
Since then, school officials have boosted security around campus.
I visited a number of university buildings to put these changes to the test. My first stop was Tuttleman Learning Center where I walked right in without showing any identification. At Paley Library, perhaps the security guard recognized the student based on his frequency in and out of the building but this student made his way in as well. My last stop was Annenberg Hall and I also entered without showing an ID.
After the assault, some Temple students had similar experiences when entering university buildings.
“The other day I couldn’t find my ID in my bag,” sophomore Marissa Rubin said. “I held up the back of my phone, my phone case is the same color, and I just did that movement of I’m taking something out of my pocket… and I got into Anderson, where the incident happened.”
Tabitha Smith, who is also a sophomore at Temple University, said the University is currently doing all it can but she would not define it as “enhanced security.”
“Pretty much all they did was they had me walk on the other side of the ropes and show my ID a little bit closer,” Smith said. “But if you think about it, anybody can get into the school without a Temple ID, you just need an ID.”
Some students, like sophomore Melissa Buchanico, feel more positive about the university’s initiative.
“The first day I walked back [to Anderson and Gladfelter]…it was Friday… and I think there was three security guards in each building,” Buchanico said. “So that made me feel a little more comfortable but I knew that nothing would happen, especially with the amount of security that was there.”
Betzner also told Temple Update that security is one of the issues that is being discussed as part of Visualize Temple, a project that works to “help guide vital decisions for the future growth and continued success of the University.”
Update reached out to Campus Police, but officials had no immediate comment on the enhanced security measures.
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