One simple answer: YES.
Read this article in the Champaign News-Gazette.
As the parent of a college student I can empathize with this comment from the story: "As one parent told him, "we don't expect to send our children to college and get them home in caskets." If you're the parent of a college student I would bet you have the same concern. I worry about my daughter every day.
As a retired college teacher I can honestly say campus security is almost nonexistent. A college campus is an open place. Not only are things stolen from every campus every day (Once there was a projector stolen from a classroom in the building in which I taught--a projector that was securely fastened to the ceiling in an open classroom.) but there is no way to guarantee that someone won't do on any campus on any day what happened at NIU or VT. After the VT shootings I was in the classroom and begged my students to really think about what had happened, and to not bring a gun into my classroom ever. After that shooting I really thought about my personal safety, much like I worried about overly obsessed students who wanted to walk me out to my car after a late night class. You just never know what someone will do--someone you think is "okay" but may well not be.
So yes, Illinois legislature, give campuses more money for security. Governor Blago, this is an opportunity to be the good guy, but no, you won't get any money to line your pocket so you probably will only do a "press op" and not really carry through. Just another reason you stink as a governor.
