When I first came to West Virginia Wesleyan College in the fall of 2014 I was scared but also very excited. I'd never been alone before, and I was surprised with my own room out of pure luck. Things always seemed to be happening, even when it got dark. There were comedians in the social hall, plays in the PAC, and movies in hyma. I went to most of the events and I often walked alone and met up with a friend there. I never had a problem walking across campus alone. Until this year, that is.

The campus has always been well-lit, with lamp posts every 10 feet or so along all of the sidewalks. But, of course, that doesn't make it incredibly bright, it's still hard to make out more than just shapes from afar. However, to my knowledge back then, the campus was rather safe. Students would make their way back from the library when it closed at midnight, a few students would be returning to their dorms after visiting friends, returning from practices, etc. Everyone seemed to be minding their own business and it never made me uncomfortable.

Recently, though, at Wesleyan, it seems a lot more unsafe. Many sexual assault cases have been reported and brushed under the rug. Many stalking cases have been reported. A man told me that his key to his floor in our dorm used to work to get onto the women's floor. It was not a man I felt threatened by or felt was dangerous, but if his key worked, most of the other men's keys on that floor probably also worked on my floor. I have no idea if this problem was solved or not.

There have been numerous reports of car break-ins on campus. There have been reports of tires being slashed and windows broken. I and many students will leave our cars in the same place in the parking lot for days because we just don't need to use our cars every day. But, it's becoming a concern to leave my car for more than a day without checking to make sure it hasn't been broken into.

To top everything off, Buckhannon is also dealing with this crazy "killer clown" problem. The clowns have been spotted in at least two locations on campus and on one street surrounding the campus.

Finally, there are not security cameras on campus. This car break-in issue has been a concern since at least last year and security cameras have been a topic at student senate meetings, but the topic is always "are you guys interested in getting security cameras" or "what are your arguments for installing security cameras?" Even though the answers are always unanimously for cameras, we've been asked how we feel about them 3 times. However, we need more than just cameras. I had a security officer walk me back to my dorm one night (when the clowns were particularly prominent) and after discussing the different items we could carry to protect ourselves, he told us he has absolutely no weapon, not even pepper spray. It made me feel like the guard was just to keep me company, leaving me question if he could actually protect me.

Wesleyan has gotten to the point where it is not nearly as safe for its students as it could be.Sexual assault cases should be taken care of, security cameras should keep watch for criminals in the parking lots (or even sidewalks), and security guards should probably serve as a little more than just a buddy. I appreciate campus security's offers to walk students across campus when they feel unsafe, but if a killer clown comes about, I'm not sure the could do much more than I could. Wesleyan needs more protection.