In an effort to further enhance campus safety, the Office of the University Registrar will make changes to contact information listed in the upcoming campus directory.
The Registrar’s office publishes a directory of students, faculty and staff every fall semester. Prior to this semester, the directory listed each student’s name, classification, curriculum, local telephone number, e-mail address and local and home addresses.
Starting this fall, however, student contact information will no longer include local or home addresses.
Robert Doolos, University Registrar, sent a broadcast e-mail to students last week to notify them about the intended changes. The e-mail stated the directory will print only the information students want printed.
By default, the directory still will print a student’s name, classification, curriculum, local telephone number and e-mail address.
Students may choose whether or not they want all or part of their contact information listed in the directory.
Faculty and staff will be able to list business addresses only, though that is not a change from previous directories.
Doolos said the changes are to make students feel safer.
“Our overall concern is the security of our students,” he said.
Safety was not the only concern on the registrar’s mind. Student mobility also played into the decision-making process.
Because many students often do not stay in the same dorm, apartment or house for more than a few semesters, Doolos said physical addresses quickly can become out-of-date.
Kami Savoie, a chemistry freshman, and other female students at the University were glad the Registrar decided to remove all students’ physical addresses.
“Being a girl and living in Baton Rouge with the whole serial killer thing, it makes me feel better that the many people that come to LSU don’t know exactly where I live,” Savoie said.
Talaris Randolph, psychology freshman, shared Savoie’s concerns about safety but also was concerned about privacy.
“That’s too invasive,” Randolph said. “You can only be concerned about something like that.”
Many male students took a different perspective from females when it came to safety.
“I don’t care much, but I can see why girls would be happy [about the directory changes],” said Jonathan Stock, mechanical engineering sophomore. “I never thought about somebody getting my address.”
Listing an e-mail address in the directory did not seem to be a threat to student safety, however.
“I think I’ll let my e-mail run” Savoie said. “In class, if someone misses and needs notes, they can always reach me.”
Randolph was comfortable listing an e-mail address because she said she rarely uses it for personal reasons.
“I rarely check it – only when a teacher tells me to,” she said.
– Staff Writer Amanda McElfresh contributed to this story.