After anti-abortion protestors came on campus at Meredith College on Thursday, Oct. 13, a petition was started to urge Meredith’s Campus Police to follow proper procedures and continually make students on campus feel safe.
The petition was started by Avery Gardner, who was contacted by The Herald. When asked what their goal was with starting the petition, Gardner said, “My goal in starting this petition was to show Meredith College how many of its students feel unsafe.” They continued by saying, “I feel like campus security has been a concern and issue with many students for a while but [the Oct. 13] events just put it into perspective for many. It made us realize how unsafe we truly feel and I felt the need to take some kind of stand and try to help fix the situation.”
When asked how they felt about Campus Security’s role in the presence the protestors, Gardner said, “I and many other students feel that if Campus [Police] was better, those men would have never made it onto campus. These men got into the main courtyard near [Belk Dining Hall] without any trouble. Then they proceeded to harass students on the campus.” Gardner also said that “these men getting onto campus so easily shows how campus security needs to change and become better for the protection of Meredith students.”
Gardner added that there is “no ill intention with the petition against [Campus Police] itself.” They said, “We want to work with security to improve security and make it better for all parties involved.”
To report on campus security concerns, contact Campus Police at (919) 760-8888. To send in a student security concern to be reported on by The Herald, contact us at herald@email.meredith.edu.
By Haileigh West, Reporter