In response to reported acts of illegal activity in Northeastern’s Mugar Life Sciences Building, which Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs David Madigan later specified to be “in relation to prostitution,” the university has added Husky Card locks to the building’s bathrooms.
At least eight of Mugar’s bathrooms are equipped with the locks, which require an individual to tap their Husky Card to enter. During an Oct. 16 faculty senate meeting, associate professor of communication studies and chair of the faculty senate’s agenda committee Heidi Kevoe-Feldman said the Northeastern University Police Department, or NUPD, implemented the locks as part of a “comprehensive, multi-layer approach” to resolve reported safety concerns.
“Faculty concerns brought up to the Northeastern University Police Department a number of complaints about illegal activities occurring within Mugar Hall restrooms,” Kevoe-Feldman said. “These instances were not isolated to specific times of day and the disruptive nature of the behavior prompted significant concern from students and staff, who reported the negative impact it was having on individual wellbeing and the broader community within the building.”
“Since the implementation of these measures, including the locks, NUPD has not received any further reports of this specific illegal activity,” she added.
When asked during a later question and answer period of the meeting for additional detail regarding the “illegal activity,” Madigan said the activities were “in relation to prostitution.”
Massachusetts law defines prostitution as “the conduct of engaging, agreeing to engage or offering to engage in sexual conduct for a fee.”
According to NUPD crime logs, there were eight reported instances throughout May and June of either trespassing, loitering, suspicious activity, or lewd and lascivious conduct in Mugar Hall. Two instances specified that the activity took place in Mugar’s restrooms. Four individuals are subject to be summonsed to court, and one was arrested by NUPD, according to the logs.
For instance, on June 6, there were three reported incidents within two hours: a report of trespassing at 2:20 p.m., a report of lewd and lascivious activity at 2:43 p.m. and another report of trespassing at 4:08 p.m. The NUPD identified the three individuals alleged to have committed the June 6 incidents, according to the logs, which state two are subject to being summonsed to court while one was arrested.
There were eight total individuals listed alongside reported incidents — only five were identified by NUPD — but it is not clear if incidents were perpetrated by the same individual multiple times.
When asked by The News, the university’s media relations team did not elaborate on the nature of the incidents.
Certain other university buildings have locks on their bathrooms, including in West Village G and International Village. During a Sept. 25 faculty senate meeting, a professor said locks were being added to the Dodge Hall bathrooms as well, but a Huntington News reporter did not find locks on any of the building’s restrooms Oct. 23.
The media relations team did not respond to questions asking why certain buildings have locks, and if the university plans on adding locks to other restrooms.
During the meeting, faculty raised concerns that the locks would make it difficult for approved guests to use Mugar’s bathrooms and that a specific gender’s restroom would be locked for individuals with a Husky Card of a different gender.
A handful of professors said they tested the bathrooms of the opposite gender and found that bathrooms could be unlocked by individuals with a Husky Card listed under a different gender. The News confirmed this to be the case.
Kevoe-Feldman said NUPD was exploring solutions to the inconveniences the locks pose for visitors. She said one possible solution was having the building’s office maintain possession of a single key visitors can use to unlock the bathrooms.
“It is an inconvenience, but it’s an inconvenience that addresses faculty concerns for their own safety, and maybe each office can figure out a strategy,” she said.
The issue was first brought up at the Sept. 25 faculty senate meeting. Veronica Godoy-Carter, an associate professor of biology and biochemistry, said she was surprised to find the bathrooms locked from the outside, only accessible via Husky Card. She said she was not informed this was happening in advance and that it caused significant confusion. She asked if the doors could be unlocked during the day.
According to the minutes, Godoy-Carter said she was eventually told the locks were due to safety concerns.
During the Oct. 16 meeting, Godoy-Carter said she understood the reasoning behind the locks but wished it had been communicated more clearly.
“We didn’t get the information, we just found the bathrooms locked,” she said. “So, I understand it’s in the past, but it would be good to keep in mind so that this doesn’t happen again.”
News staff Kristina DaPonte contributed reporting.
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