EDITORIAL: The Time Has Come

Gigi Simeone should resign asGigi Simeone should resign ashead of Residential Living andGigi Simeone should resign ashead of Residential Living andthe University should re-evalu-Gigi Simeone should resign ashead of Residential Living andthe University should re-evalu-ate its residential policies andGigi Simeone should resign ashead of Residential Living andthe University should re-evalu-ate its residential policies andproceduresGigi Simeone should resign ashead of Residential Living andthe University should re-evalu-ate its residential policies andprocedures_________________________________ And, in the wake of the most recent incident -- a former Residential Living employee suspected in two dormitory break-ins -- we feel these issues raise serious questions about the competence of the department that must be addressed in an immediate and decisive manner. A McGinn guard was arrested in 1989 for allegedly harassing several University students and injuring a University Police officer. The guard was apparently intoxicated during the incident, and was later found to have had an extensive criminal record. And as recently as last spring, the DP photographed four guards asleep on the job and observed several others doing the same. During 1992 College graduate Jeff Jacobson's tenure on the University Council's Safety and Security Committee, there were several reports of guards sleeping, pre-teens being hired for security positions and employees who were drinking and harassing students. Numerous complaints of lost and slow mail have flooded residences in spite of various reassurances and investigations. While findings of trashed, undelivered mail continue to incense students daily, the past year has shown that mail problems have not ceased, but continue to plague on-campus residents. In the dorm rooms themselves, students have consistently found rodents as part-time roommates. But this is better than instances of human intrusion, such as when a College freshman found a man rummaging through the drawers in her Quad room last year, or, most recently, when a former University residential desk receptionist (who had been arrested several times by University Police) was implicated in the DuBois and Stouffer burglaries. And many students simply find that Residential Living is no longer where they really want to live. This has gone far enough. It is time to stop sliding down this slippery slope any further, before the University wakes up to tragic headlines on the front page of this paper. It is time for the University to care about the welfare of its truly most important commodity -- the students themselves. Immediate steps must be taken to create a better screening process for all applicants to residence-related positions, security guards or otherwise. It is imperative that the guardians of our safety not be ex-convicts themselves. We support the findings of the Commission on Strengthening the Community in this regard -- control of all security operations should be shifted to University Police, including dormitory security. It is also necessary that Residential Living work its hardest to meet the needs of its customers head-on. Students, upon moving in, should be more well-informed about where they should direct their complaints, and these complaints ought to be treated with an "open book" policy. After all, what does the University have to hide? In the face of these tribulations, Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone has not been wholly complacent. But in spite of the recurrence of these issues, she has not taken a pro-active role. Rather, she has chosen to be reactive to complaints, doing damage control and putting her finger in the dike to ameliorate future catastrophes. In dealing with such huge problems, Simeone has chosen to pick up the pieces rather than build a better home for the University. And this, we deem unconscionable. We call for Simeone's resignation. A bold leader who is not afraid to make changes must replace Simeone and turn Residential Living into the organization it should be. Enough is truly enough.