The LSU Studio Arts building is left unlocked 24 hours a day to allow students to work on their projects. This, however, has also left the door open for danger.
There have been thefts, flashings and stalkings reported recently, according to ceramics senior Phil Blackwell.
Blackwell said she started noticing things shift around in her studio. She soon realized that someone had been living in it at night, along with a cat that has damaged her artwork.
Before Blackwell had a key to her studio, she would lock it and climb out the window, until she came in one day to find the door kicked in, she said. She also tried to set up a webcam, but the University’s Wi-Fi does not support the device.
It took three months before the door was fixed by a graduate student, Blackwell said. She still did not have a key to her studio even though the students were promised keys at the beginning of the semester.
“In the middle of the night, there was a guy who would wait until everyone but one female student had left the building, [then] he would flash them,” Blackwell said.
One student said she was followed by a man who eventually learned her class schedule and made several advances toward her. One night, while working alone the in art building, the man made an aggressive advance.
About three weeks ago, Blackwell said she found a note in her studio that said, “A dollar for your thoughts, keep the window clear makes better to see through, BTW we are watching.”
“I checked with all my friends, everyone that has ever been in [her studio], and everyone that I know and is allowed to come in here without me in it, said it wasn’t them and that’s when I started to get concerned,” Blackwell said.
Blackwell said she also checked with the students who have class in the room across the courtyard from her studio. They said they can not see into her studio from their room because the windows are too dirty.
Two weeks later, in the same spot where the first note was found, was another note that said there are 20 notes in total. Most of the notes were very well hidden, Blackwell said.
“Outside of taking down reports, and occasionally coming by the building, [LSUPD is] not doing anything preventative,” Blackwell said. “These things keep happening more and more often, and people I think are realizing that this building is open and vulnerable to that kind of stuff. It’s just inviting people to come in.”
The same day the 20 notes were hidden in Blackwell’s studio, one of the girls’ bathroom stalls were covered in sticky notes with drawings of eyes, Blackwell said.
“A lot of us, especially the grad students or people in advanced classes, work very late at night. I’m here overnight at least two to three times a week,” Blackwell said.
“I started carrying a taser around with me and pepper spray anytime I’m here or walk out the door. It’s very concerning. A lot of people are starting to get scared they can’t work here when they need to.”
After the second time the notes were left, Blackwell said she enlisted the help of an administrator to get a key so she could make a copy of it on her own.
“I pay tuition here and I want to be protected. I want to know that there’s at least some sort of security whether that’s a locked door, I don’t understand why that can’t be a thing,” said ceramics senior Catherine Mills. “I just don’t understand what it’s going to take to get the University’s attention and for them to actually do something.”
Not all of the above incidents were reported, according to LSUPD.
Painting and ceramics senior Jacob Lagasse said he had a bucket of paint poured on his car and into the engine, over the summer.
“I can’t pull every single student in this building aside and say ‘Hey, you need to watch out, this is going on,’ so there’s a lot of students who don’t know that they need to be taking extra steps to protect themselves,” Blackwell said.
Last year, Mills said she was working in the studio late at night when her friend, Adam, saw a man roaming the halls and confronted him. After the man refused to leave, Adam stayed with Mills so she would not be in the studio alone.
“That was great of him, but what would’ve happened if he’d just gone,” Mills said. “If Adam couldn’t get him to leave, there’s no way I could have.”
The University has promoted the “See Something, Say Something” campaign, according to Media Relations director Ernie Ballard.
“We ask that people report anything suspicious to the police. The safety of all members of the LSU community is of utmost importance to us, and for that reason we ask everyone to come together and look out for each other,” Ballard said. “Even if someone is unsure, please contact LSU Police — a false alarm is always better than a crime that could have been prevented.”
Ballard said students should utilize the LSU Shield app on their smart phones, where they can use the iReport function to text and chat with LSU Police.
