In the past recent year, High Point University has recently added a new gate next to the Food Lion across from campus.
What was once a bustling business and shopping center is now home to only two stores. This has caused much controversy and talks both on and off campus about how students believe that since there are multiple locations that have not sold their property; therefore, this is still considered public grounds.
HPU is also considering starting checking students' IDs, considering there is a vape shop located on the grounds and they have been sent multiple citations for selling to underage students. However, for students that are of age many students believe including myself that they should not be told where they can and cannot shop.
With HPU telling students where they can and cannot shop on the grounds, personally this is only going to make them purchase from other vape shops from off campus.
For example, there is another vape shop located only about 2 miles from campus called "Smoky Shays", that many several students buy from. Knowing this, shutting down just one vape shop in High Point will not do much good.
Therefore, once again no matter if HPU puts a stop to buying from that certain vape shop will not stop them from buying from others. While HPU is a private college campus, its understandable that they do want their students to feel as safe as possible.
HPU is continuously growing in students and size, meaning that they are most likely only going to start putting more gates around the town. Within the town of High Point alone not always being the safest, many students are also sometimes even afraid to leave campus.
The vape store not selling to underage students makes perfect sense, but sensibly the university cannot stop students that are of age from purchasing e-cigarettes.
After speaking with fellow student peer Sophia Corigliano on this topic she feels as though the vape shop not selling to underage students will only make students more susceptible from purchasing from other vape stores near campus. Sophia's reasoning behind this is personally she has witnessed many of her fellow peers go to vape shops off campus to purchase e-cigarette products. Sophia feels that if the vape shop were to quit selling to underage students, it would only make them more "rebellious" in the sense that many students already vape whether they are underage or not.
Many students have also noticed that over the past few months that HPU is now becoming much more strict with gate entrances and checking student IDs, many security officers have even began to check the backs of students vehicles to make sure they there "High Point University" sticker.
While they are doing this mostly to ensure the best possible safety for students, at times it makes students feel as though they are stuck in a "bubble" or even some students saying a "prison". However, at the end of the day it does make sense that HPU is a very secure and safe campus considering the area of town that HPU is in. For example, last spring there was a "drive-by shooting" that occurred just outside the gates of HPU. At the end of the day, HPU is only trying to keep their students as safe as possible.
Lastly, HPU is growing and will continue to grow even more over the next several years. With this being the case HPU will only continue to add more gates in the town of High Point. Many High Point residents are not fond of this idea, but again it makes students feel much safer being on a gated college campus.
