Transients are making Portland State buildings their home. This leaves the bathrooms in disarray, campus safety frustrated and students vulnerable.
According to Lt. Tracey Miller of the Campus Public Safety Office, transients getting into university bathrooms with locking doors and not coming out is a growing issue at Portland State.
Miller said that it is an issue when bathrooms are not open to students. When the transients finally leave, the odor is horrendous. He further explained drug use is a problem as well.
With all of the money being paid in tuition and fees, students at Portland State should be able to use the restrooms when needed, and not have to witness homeless people shooting up in a stall or bathing in a sink. And incidents are not limited to late night.
Having transients inside university buildings is not only a matter of security, but also a matter of personal safety for students, faculty members and custodial staff on campus.
But what is CPSO doing about the issue?
Public safety officers patrol floors in the process of locking university buildings at night, but are rarely seen otherwise. Miller cited that students are not reporting incidents with homeless people, and CPSO is often unaware.
However, communication is a two-way street.
Officers request that students report any person who looks like they don’t belong on campus. Yet, ask any student in the Park Blocks and no doubt the majority of them don’t know the number for CPSO—or even the location of the CPSO office. Besides the blue phones scattered around campus, how accessible are officers?
This is not a matter of intolerance or disrespect for the homeless. It is about boundaries and safety. It is admirable that, according to Miller, CPSO is looking at what the City of Portland is doing to deal with homelessness and trying to apply that to campus, but more benches or public bathrooms are not the solution.
CPSO needs to realize that unless a clear line of communication opens up with students, the problem with transients is only going to get worse as the temperature drops.
*Editor’s note: In the event of an emergency, contact CPSO at 503-725-4404.