Vermonters may just be too nice.

After several recent incidents involving trespassing, the Vermont way of holding doors is starting to look like a problem. But is it really the students fault?

The Universitys website, as well as the Residential Life office, provide safety information for students living in residential halls. Yet the dormitory security system may not be as solid as it could be and the safety tips are far from adequate.

With such passive wording as avoid letting strangers into the building and it is o.k. to ask [strangers] if they are a resident, students must have a hard time being persuaded that they face a real threat. Plus, what trespasser would admit that he was not a student and was instead trying to creep in the showers?

While Vermont students may be more polite than average, the University should have some sort of security that takes this into account.

Select CATcard access is a good start, but really there should be plenty of security cameras in addition to a supplementary system that monitors who is entering students living quarters.

Burlington is undoubtedly a relatively safe city and UVM is generally thought to be a safe campus. But we should recognize that trespassing crimes have been an issue in the past and currently, and maybe its time the administration considered change.

Whether it is a drug deal gone wrong or a mystery groper (see the April 4, 2011 issue of the Cynic), students should always feel safe on campus and it is the responsibility of the University to make sure of it.

We want to point out that fault does not fall on Police Services. They are a familiar and comforting presence to students and have responded diligently to crimes once they have occurred. Plus, theyre fully authorized Vermont state troopers and despite how Super Troopers portrays them, these guys are top-tier.

Admittedly, no one at the Cynic is an expert on campus security, but what we do know is that Burlington is proving to be not as safe as some may think. And a recent crop up of trespassing incidents in the past few years suggests something needs to be done.

More security options are available and we believe they need to be seriously considered as soon as possible and implemented before the next Peeping Tom strikes.