An executive decision to create a campus safety task force was issued on Wednesday by the Residence Halls Association.
RHA President Ernest Drake composed a safety focus group that includes night receptionists in the halls, residence hall mentors, Women's Council and other groups, to formulate solutions for campus violence and present them to MSU's administration officials.
With the semester's end upcoming and more students walking on campus at night to study, Drake said it was important to create a safety group now.
"Especially with finals week coming up, this is definitely an issue that needs to be addressed," he said. "Safety is always a concern on campus, and that's the sad thing - we want this to be a constant thing, not just addressed after a sexual assault."
Williams Hall representative Thomas Edwards brought campus safety concerns to the forefront of RHA earlier this semester when 11 sexual assaults were reported, with one revealed to have been falsified.
He said this focus group puts safety concerns back into the association's scope, which haven't been properly addressed in the past.
"This was the most marvelous decision in the entire world when it was made," Edwards said.
The focus group allows for more feedback on safety problems on campus by incorporating a variety of students, instead of only RHA representatives, he added.
"This is especially important in terms of getting a wider feedback base instead of just representatives," he said.
An allotment for five at-large students is included in Drake's proposal for a safety group, and some students think it's about time student groups address the issue.
"Campus safety is still a problem, but the group could help promote being aware of the situation, said Sarah Webb, an anthropology senior. But she said to check campus violence at the root, young children need to be educated.
"The problem is already a problem, so we need to start from young kids and educate them about what not to do."
Drake said he couldn't speculate yet on what solutions might come from his formulated group.
"It's a wait-and-see kind of thing," he said. "With a wide variety of persons involved, anything can happen."
