The residence halls tested Eastern students living in the halls Wednesday at midnight to see if students locked their doors or not.

Resident Assistants on each floor checked to see if the students had their door locked or unlocked by turning the doorknob.

If the student’s door was locked, the RA slid a piece of paper under the door saying “Sweet Dreams.” If the student did not lock their door, a piece of paper saying “Nightmare” was slipped underneath the door.

This exercise was done as a way to encourage students to lock their doors and to promote safety in the residence halls.

“When I woke up in the morning to find the piece of paper on the floor I was a little surprised because I thought it was odd, but also smart at the same time,” said Zoe Petersen, a freshman living at Lawson Hall.

Many students said this exercise was a good way to promote locking the doors of rooms. Students had the same reaction to finding the slip of paper in their room when they woke up.

In the case of freshman Erika Workman, a resident of Lawson Hall, it reminds her of the risk of not locking the door.

“I always make sure to lock my door when I am away or even when I am inside my dorm because you never know what can really happen, what if it is not an RA testing you and it is something worse,” Workman said.

Some students think that even with the exercise to promote safety and security, the resident halls are already secure as is.

Students of Andrews Hall 5th floor agree. The security procedures of not getting into the building but getting onto the floors is already a task as it is.

“To get anywhere in the building, it is almost like you need a key, there is only one floor you can go to in the building and that is your floor,” said Abby Baker, a freshman in Andrews Hall.

Baker’s roommate, freshman Madeline Howe, agreed with Baker’s thoughts about the residence hall security.

“I’m not afraid of anyone breaking into our dorm because we feel like we can trust people on our floor and trust the hall security,” Howe said.

Steven Puschmann can be reached

at 581-7943 or at srpuschmann@eiu.edu.