According to statistics, the approximate number of higher education students in the US is about 20.3 million, out of which over 2 million students are living on-campus. As such, the campus property is typically used for residual purposes by the continuous population which consists of fresh and incoming students. Thus, the responsibility of the security and safety of transient people living on campus directly goes to the IHE. However, it is absolutely necessary that the security of the continuous population is given proper attention.
Recently, a bill was signed which was related to the increase of safety and security measures for the students which are living on campuses provided by IHE. The bill stated was signed in order to allow public colleges to perform background checks on students that have applied for on-campus living. The concept behind this bill comes from vetting students that would be living on-campus.
The in-depth background checks will, by no means, decide the enrollment eligibility of students for the college and thus will not be used to assess such factors. Instead, they are supposed to be utilized during the vetting process for student housing on-campus.
With the permission of in-depth background checks on students, schools have been enabled to enjoy a number of much needed benefits in terms of safety and security. The most obvious benefits to this situation include:
- Identification of serious offenders who might be looking to blend in with the students and live on-campus will be made easier. Criminals and other such dangerous individuals will be identified beforehand.
- The schools will be able to limit their liability if in case any incidents occur on-campus.
- The reputations of both the students as well as the schools will be protected through the background checks.
- Parents, staff, students and faculty all will have peace of mind that the campus is safe from any sort of criminal activities.
- The program will also boost the schools’ reputations by demonstrating that proactive steps are being taken towards enhancing campus safety.
The passage of the law certifies that legislative attempts are being made to increase the safety and security of campus communities. In particular, the law focuses on enhancing the safety and security of students which are living on-campus housing. Schools that will participate in the program will be able to access records of criminal history on all the students applying for on-campus residence.
