A year ago today, an Auburn University freshman from Marietta, Ga., was abducted on campus, driven away in her own vehicle, then shot to death.
Many still mourn the death of Lauren Burk, a girl not far removed from the safe confines of her childhood home and care of her parents one state away. The man charged with her murder, 24-year-old Courtney Lockhart of Smiths Station, awaits trial and remains incarcerated at the Lee County Justice Center.
The incident earned national headlines and coincided with the shooting death of a popular student at the University of North Carolina. What we have are two women working hard to improve themselves and become productive, successful members of society — slain in the prime of youth.
A year removed from the tragedy, is Auburn University a safer place than it was March 4, 2008?
Indeed, measures to improve safety have been made. The university extended the period its campus shuttle system operates by four hours late at night. Any time a young woman, or any person for that matter, needs to get from Point A to Point B, he or she has means to do that without having to walk dark corridors.
Auburn University Executive Director of Public Safety Melvin Owens noted the university has always had security cameras in place, but has “taken a systematic approach and (is) putting more cameras in.” The more eyes, the better.
Security cameras have been very beneficial in solving a number of crimes. Cameras often serve as a deterrent but cannot actually stop a crime from happening.
Owens noted the increased educational programming — increased awareness that students should look out for one another and take measures to protect themselves — plays a major part in campus safety. While the Burk murder remains fresh on students’ minds, there’s going to come a time in the future when memories of the abduction and killing slowly fade. That’s why it’s so important that safety awareness remains a constant, not because a girl was abducted and murdered at Auburn in 2008, but because an abduction, or worse, could always happen again.
Auburn did the right thing by creating safer situations for its students but must remain diligent and continue to find ways to make the campus safer.
Mothers and fathers wanting to further their child’s education on the Plains will find comfort in that.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement