Dear Editor: Like all other good students, I am here at ETSU trying to get a great education. I can honestly say that with college comes stress. There is stress to make good grades, be a meaningful contributor to society and please my parents. Man, I wish there was something else to stress me out. Wait, there is.
I can’t walk through the parking lot in front of F. Clement without my heart racing and my eyes darting back and forth. Why? Reading about three burglaries in that very parking lot certainly did not help. I feel that ETSU pretty much invites thieves up there to ransack and rob students’ vehicles. Let’s try to keep the lighting to a bare minimum and make sure there are no cameras of any kind around – not even fake ones to make them nervous! ETSU might as well just hang a sign at the parking lot entrance that says, “EASY STEALS HERE!”
Who am I kidding? It’s almost like that now. And I am aware now that this is all too real.
My car was broken into Saturday night. My dash wasripped out, and my CD player stolen. What frustrates me the most is that even though the thief left fingerprints and blood all over the place, the police cannot figure out who did it. Whoever is stealing will continue to get away with it.
I’m not blaming Public Safety or night patrol. I’m blaming ETSU for making it so darn easy. The F. Clement parking lot is obviously the hot spot for theft. If there are people sneaking around up there breaking into cars, what else are they capable of doing? Most importantly, why the heck hasn’t something been done already?
I think I speak for all my fellow residence hallmates when I say that we would very much appreciate a safe place to leave our vehicles and to walk at night. School is stressful enough as it is.

Trista Self

Author