The recent sexual assault on Los Medanos College that took place in the second floor restroom of the college complex last Thursday has students on edge. No one wants to be made to feel unsafe at school but it seems that there has been a lot of finger-pointing – everyone’s looking for a scapegoat — but the answer to student’s concerns are more complicated than that.

Sexual assaults happen on most college campuses, and though it’s always unfortunate, we’ve got to look for a solution to the problem.

One of the solutions would be a school investment in cameras for the second floor because currently, there are none. With more surveillance, we’d be able to deter crime on campus and it will be easier to figure out who is responsible and we won’t have to test the limits of on-campus officers.

Many have blamed the incident on the lack of patrols on campus, not realizing that the amount of officers and security we have on campus is determined by the District, according to Lt. Huddleston. Currently, LMC has one parking officer, two dispatchers, eight student aids and five sworn police officers— but they aren’t available all at once. There are usually only one to three officers on patrol and on the night of the assault, there was only one.

No blame can be directed toward Police Services— they want to keep us safe, which is why they have 15-20 minute briefings every morning to discuss issues that might affect the LMC student body — but there is a lack of aides and officers to be able to patrol the campus at all times.

Students can always utilize the officers themselves, as one of their services is escorting people to their cars when requested. They are also always looking for information; so if you know anything, feel free to contact police services, even if you have to do so anonymously. If you’d like to do more by directly helping to keep people safe, there is an opening for students to become an officer. Other than that, be aware of your surroundings and let the district and the schoolwork together to ensure your safety.