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View Full Version : 165 years w/o a single episode of deadly campus violence...



Okla-homey
4/24/2007, 08:07 AM
now this.

Thanks Mr VT Psychopathic Undergraduate Paranoid Schizophrenic Mass Murderer.

Look, I think its generally good to take steps to make college kids safer, but no locks on dorm room doors had been something I had always taken pride in because you could leave cash or jewelry on your desk in your room, go away for the weekend, and it would be there when you returned.

I'm also not quite sure how this helps keep kids safer. Whats next, drapes or curtains on the windows? They don't have those either.


The Citadel will break with tradition and install locks on all cadet rooms amid concerns about safety in the wake of the Virginia Tech shootings.

Male cadets at the state military college have no locks on their barracks doors. Female cadets can lock their doors from the inside. The tradition had evolved in keeping with the spareness of military life and with the school's honor code, which mandates that cadets do not steal.

Now, all cadets will get keys to lock their doors from the outside by next semester. Installing the locks will cost about $125,000.

"This decision in no way compromises the honor system. The personal standards that a cadet does not lie, cheat or steal nor tolerate those who do remains the centerpiece of The Citadel experience," said the school's president, retired Air Force Lt. Gen. John Rosa.

The idea had been discussed before the Virginia Tech shootings. But a review after that incident shows "times have changed and society has changed" and locks are needed, Rosa said.

"My job is the safety of every student," he added.

The Citadel's Board of Visitors approved the change at a regularly scheduled weekend meeting.

The college's commandant of cadets, Greg Stone, said locks will mean "a new way of operating" but won't change the way cadets interact. [specifically, a guy will now be able to polish his carrot w/o fear of being walked in on...which is a plus;) ]

College attorney Mark Brandenburg said the locks will help safeguard the college from legal liability. But he said it is about more than lawsuits. "We weren't at the standard of care we wanted to be," he said.

jk the sooner fan
4/24/2007, 08:23 AM
the army has locks to the doors in the barracks and they never seemed to effect the resident barracks thieves

Okla-homey
4/24/2007, 08:35 AM
the army has locks to the doors in the barracks and they never seemed to effect the resident barracks thieves

There are occasional barracks thieves. They usually get caught and thrown out of school. I had a classmate in my company who got all the way to senior year and "borrowed" a classmate's gas credit card in order to fill-up to get home over Christmas furlough. He got found out and dismissed a few weeks into the spring semester.

I think this is more designed to allow cadets to hide in their rooms behind a locked wooden door if somebody sneaks in ammunition and starts blazing away with his flippin' rifle -- every cadet room has at least two rifles stored in the rifle rack. One for each occupant.

When I was there, we had M-14's. I think they have '03 Springfields now, but they can be made to fire with the substitution of a functional bolt assembly.

In truth, I think this is more about liability exposure for the school.

That said, I really don't think a VT sort of thing could happen there, because cadets are trained to confront that sort of thing. (E.g. counterattack if ambushed.)

jk the sooner fan
4/24/2007, 08:38 AM
didnt you see the movie Taps? ;)

you know, fort knox has an M1A1 abrams main battle tank on 24 hour stand by in the event some nut job private takes off with a rogue tank and heads for town......it happened in the 80's, kid took the tank all the way to louisville and the ohio river bridge

so, it can happen - not that its likley....but you never know

Okla-homey
4/24/2007, 08:40 AM
didnt you see the movie Taps? ;)

you know, fort knox has an M1A1 abrams main battle tank on 24 hour stand by in the event some nut job private takes off with a rogue tank and heads for town......it happened in the 80's, kid took the tank all the way to louisville and the ohio river bridge

so, it can happen - not that its likley....but you never know

didn't some foolio do something similar in Lawton with a tracked howitzer?

jk the sooner fan
4/24/2007, 08:43 AM
didn't some foolio do something similar in Lawton with a tracked howitzer?

YES! lol......maybe we need to put the locks on the motor pool :)

Taxman71
4/24/2007, 12:02 PM
Trust in god..but lock your door.