To the Editor:Before break, I had the opportunity to reflect on Brandeis' heightened security measures in light of the increased federal terror alert. I had this opportunity as I sat in a long line of cars at the main entrance to campus, waiting for the hired security guard to check everyone's ID.

At the head of the line was an Airborne Express delivery truck, the driver of which did not know how to find his destination on campus. Neither, apparently did the security guard, who could only shrug, and keep the van -- and the rest of us -- waiting.

So, during my stay at the main gate, I realized a few things about the increased security measures.

First, I do understand the motivations of the administration, the Department of Public Safety and the Waltham Police, and they are commendable. They are taking steps to ensure that we are safe, and I can take no issue with that. While I do not personally feel that Brandeis is a high-priority target for terrorists, I respect that our current state of affairs requires increased vigilance, even in the most unlikely of places. What I do not understand, however, is the method by which we are being protected.

As closely as I can determine, the increased security measures consist of police, Public Safety and hired security officers checking the ID's and parking stickers of incoming traffic at the main gate -- during daylight hours.

I personally was unaware that terrorists are opposed to moving under cover of darkness. In fact, it seems to me that the most likely time that a terrorist or criminal would enter the campus would be at night, when there are no added security measures, save the occasional drive-through by the Waltham Police. It seems that the only times we are guaranteed to be stopped at the main gate are during peak traffic hours in the morning and evening.

I am not railing against the inconvenience, but rather the inconsistency. If I were planning to do some harm to Brandeis or its residents, night seems to be the best time. Or apparently, inclement weather would be. In the aftermath of last month's blizzard, when it rains our only protection at the main gate has been a row of construction cones making the navigation of an already difficult intersection more inconvenient. And if I were a terrorist trying to gain entry to campus, I could just walk.

In the final analysis, it seems to me that the security measures that we have been seeing recently, while valiantly motivated, are probably only effective at assuaging the worries of far-away parents and perhaps reducing the school's liability in the event that the unthinkable occurs. Again, I am not saying we have no need for safety measures, nor that they are not worth the trade-off in inconvenience, but merely this: If we are going to consider increased safety measures in these uncertain times, let's have ones that will work. Or let's save Brandeis' much-needed money for something else.

-- Tobias Loss-Eaton '05