Columbus State Uses Technology to Increase Campus Safety

Over the past several months, campus safety at Columbus State has come under increasing scrutiny. Students and families are wondering if the campus is becoming too dangerous.

On Sept. 30 a girl was raped in the first floor bathroom inside of Nestor Hall. This incident brought a focus back onto public safety at the college.

According to http://www.american-school-search.com/ , a Web site that provides information on the safety of public schools, there were several crimes at Columbus State between 2006-2008.

There was one case of forcible sex offense, one case of aggravated assault, three cases of burglary, eight cases of illegal weapons possession and 10 cases of auto theft.

Dustin Grandstaff, a Columbus State student, said security concerns have changed his perception of campus safety after his night classes.

“I take class until 10 p.m. on Tuesday nights,” he stated. “I do not feel safe when I am leaving. I do not really ever see police or anything on campus.”

Jenn Taber, another student at Columbus State talked about why she feels the college still needs additional preventative measures.

“Everything the college is doing seems to be more directed at crimes after they happen,” she said. “I want to see more police and security to prevent things from happening.”

Though students have expressed dissatisfaction with security at the college, there are people who want the campus to be safe.

Columbus State media relations coordinator David Wayne had information regarding new security measures and other actions being taken at the college.

“On Wednesday, Dec. 1, we are implementing a new text messaging security system,” Wayne stated. “Students can sign up for the service online so that they can be notified via text messages when things are happening on campus.”

The system is called the Rave System from Boston Advanced Technologies. Students can receive notifications for closing due to snow, weather and other emergencies over the system as well.

Wayne also talked about some security features that are in place as well as some new items being added.

“Right now there are just over 100 cameras on the campus,” Wayne said. “Over the next several weeks we will also be adding a couple dozen more cameras that can move 360 degrees and help staff monitor the campus.”

Wayne stated that there are even more security features on campus that people might not even realize are there.

“We also have over 100 security call boxes on campus,” he stated. “People can call security over these boxes and have someone come help them.”

Along with the high-tech safety options, Wayne said Columbus State still has officers patrolling the campus.

“We also have 24 sworn in police officers working at Columbus State,” he said. “In addition to this we have 25 security and safety specialists.”

Even though there are all of these measures on campus, some students still do not feel safe by themselves.

Grandstaff said “When I get out of class I would like some assurance that I will be able to get home safely. I have been going here for several years and it seems like the crime here is getting worse.”

Grandstaff also talked about how he feels even though people are trying to increase campus safety. He thinks even though people say things are being done, it does not feel like security is increasing.

“I wonder if anyone here at the college is doing anything to increase campus safety,” Grandstaff said. “I feel like I get a lot of student emails alerting me about the crime, but by then it is too late. I am glad I am transferring soon.”

Wayne wanted to reassure people that the safety of people on the campus very important.

“Student and staff safety are the most important aspects for Columbus State. This is why we have been implementing these new security ideas for over a year now.”

Wayne hopes that students and staff will recognize the security measures on campus and that people there will feel more safe.

Election Day 2010

On November 2 local Clintonville polling stations were bustling with long lines of people waiting to cast their votes. At the local Glenmont School, some people waited a half hour or more before making their decisions.

An event like this only happens every two years in this country when people can decide who the new Governor will be, among many other positions.

There has been a lot of hype and a lot of political commercials and influence leading up to this event. Many people at the voting stations did not seem to be very impacted by the ploys of politicians this year though.

One voter in line, Nate Hayslip, said “Oh my gosh I am so tired of those political commercials on TV. They get so old.”

He also added “I don’t really care who wins this election, but I know two things, I am excited for those commercials and ads to be over, and I know I am not voting for Ted Strickland.”

Another voter, Brandon Johnson echoed similar sentiments. “Ted Strickland is a terrible governor. I am going to vote for John Kasich. Ted Strickland is an idiot.”

Johnson also said “I will say though I think the current state of Ohio’s economy and job situation is not Strickland’s fault. I think the situation would be the same no matter who was governor.”

Johnson continued and said “We are going to see a huge swing in control of the House of Representatives, yet I can guarantee that we will not see any problems being solved.”

He also said “I wish whoever is voted into office would really be able to make some changes in the state. The loss of jobs and the high unemployment rate are so sad to see. Hopefully there will be changes in house leadership that will help our state government achieve bigger things.”

The voting line was filled with people of all different backgrounds and ages. There were several volunteer workers helping voters find their places and cast their votes.

One of the poll workers, Amy Schmidt, said “There have been so many people out today. It is great to see so many people here making a difference.”

She also said “I have been a volunteer at this local poll for many years now. I can say I am excited by the number of young people that turn out. It has gotten better over the recent past.”

Schmidt continued to say how she was glad that people were getting out to vote and help make a difference in the local community.

She also said “I hope that people vote yes on issue four. I really would like to see our local school libraries receive better funding to help our children in the future. Libraries are such important community centers and so vital to our youth I hope the issues passes.”

Glenmont is a school in Clintonville just south of Cooke Road off of Indianola Avenue. The school is an alternative school for disabled children and has hosted a polling station for many years now.

The 104th Circleville Pumpkin Show

On October 19^th through the 23^rd 2010, the Circleville Pumpkin show returned to Circleville, Ohio for the 104^th time.

Every year round this time the town fills with anticipation as downtown Circleville fills with vendors and people preparing for the show. Local students even get the entire week off from schools.

This event features hundreds of different vendors and over the course of several days attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the small local community.

Evelyn, a worker at the Pumpkin Show information booth said “Every year almost 100,000 people come to the Pumpkin Show every day. That is over 400,000 people every year.”

This is very impressive considering Circleville is a town of only around 12,000 people normally. That means in just four days the town see over thirty three times as many people as it does the rest of the year.

Visitors can find so many different types of food, entertainment and of course all things pumpkin. There are contests for best pumpkin, largest pumpkin and all types of pumpkin food at various vendors.

These people come for many different reasons. Evelyn said “People can find pumpkin chili, pumpkin pizza, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin seeds and many different types of pumpkin pie.

The festival also features many other types of food and activities that might be found at typical fair settings. The food and rides make the event an attraction for families as well.

Kristina, a visitor from out of town said “My husband and I brought our daughter up for Saturday. She loves all of the rides and fun things to do. There is so much here for our family!”

Her husband Bud said “I don’t even really like foods with pumpkin in them, but there are still a lot of really great things for families to do here. And there are many other types of foods I do like.”

Visitors can buy pumpkins or course, among many other things. There are vendors selling everything from Amish homemade good to workers selling rides on camels and visits in a petting zoo.

Robbie has lived in Circleville his whole life and said “I love coming here every year. It is a great place to spend time with friends and family. Not only can you eat, but there are games and tons of fun things to do.”

According to the Pumpkin show website, every year there are 23,000 pumpkin pies and over 100,000 pumpkin donuts sold in only 4 days. Pumpkin show is also the self-proclaimed oldest festival in Ohio and “The greatest free show on earth.”

Every year there is a contest to see who can grow the largest pumpkin. This year the largest pumpkin weighed in at 1,622 pounds. It almost set a record but missed the winner last year by about thirteen pounds.

Another large attraction for the show is put on every year by Lindsay’s Bakery. Each year they bake a pumpkin pie that is about six feet in diameter and weighs in at over 400 pounds.

Columbus Welcomes a New Type of Store

(From October 20th, 2010) Last Thursday, in the once defunct Kingsdale shopping center in Upper Arlington, Ohio a new and unique type of grocery store opened its doors to the public.

Giant Eagle’s Market District is a store that employs over 600 people and has over 132,000 square feet of retail space. There are restaurants, and many different departments offering limitless types of food and items.

Customers looking for something different can find over 400 types of cheeses, 600 kinds of beer and 2,500 kinds of wine available in the store. Shoppers can also sample one of 12 kinds of wine before they buy if they are not sure what they want.

Feel free to sit down and eat at the restaurant in the store. Your food might even be made by one of Columbus State’s own culinary school graduates, several of whom work right inside Market District prepared food section, offering dozens of homemade items.

Collyn, a bakery clerk, said “This place was so packed with people last Thursday you couldn’t even move. People were in here shoulder to shoulder.” She attributed the crowd to the uniqueness of the store, as well as several guest celebrity appearances from Food Network Stars.

“Adam Richman from Man vs. Food was here. It was so crowded I could barely see him!” Collyn remarked.

Another bakery clerk Katelyn chimed in and said “This place is like an amusement park with all of the people and different things you can do. This place is great.”

Collyn also noted that the store opened at 1030 am last Thursday, and by 5:30 pm the store had sold over 125,000 dollars in goods.

“People are so excited because of the wow factor. The diversity of the products, the care taken in making items. The cakes are completely made from scratch, right down to the icing. The beef is aged in the store. You can even buy exotic meats, like python!” Collyn said.

A shopper, Chad Allen said “I have never seen anything like this. There are hot and cold bars where you can buy food by the pound. There are so many types of beer and items, this store is wonderful. I also love the selection of root beer.”

Market District also offers everyday types of items like light bulbs, dishwashing detergent and also has a pharmacy right in the store.

Another shopper, Keith Hiszem, said “It’s everything you could want in a store. It has normal items you may need at the grocery store, but very different items I can use to make so many types of new food at home.”

Many of the employees in the store are trained wine and cheese experts. This is not your run of the mill grocery store. Fresh fish and meat come from all over the world, as do many of the other items in the store.

The Market District in Ohio is only one of four stores like this in the country. People are hoping this store will help revitalize the shopping center.