An altercation Sunday at Douglas Hall left one man injured, three men in police custody and a residence hall security system with sobering answers to tough questions.

Shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday, someone tried to enter Douglas Hall without proper identification. The person asked the Resident Hall Operations door attendant to use the bathroom but was denied entry. Police say the man then cursed at the attendant and told him that he was going to relieve himself outside.

Minutes passed and then, according to Sumair Chaudhary, one of the attendants on duty that night, the man returned with about eight to 10 other men and proceeded to push aside the other attendant, Tabish Tanzeem, and grab, punch and kick another man who was sitting in the lobby talking with three other women.

Chaudhary immediately called police from the phone on his desk and on seeing that one of the men threw a metal rail used to keep people in line during late-night check-ins at his leg.

“I thought my leg was broken,” said Chaudhary, a sophomore computer science major, who was taken to the hospital and placed on crutches.

The suspects then fled on foot as soon as they heard University Police sirens approach the scene.

Three men, Samuel O. Osubo, 18, of Chicago, Olusola A. Arojojove, 19, of Dolton and George O. Olufunmi, 19, of Chicago, were caught by police, arrested and charged with aggravated battery. The suspects, all NIU students, were released later that night each on $500 bond.

The victim claimed that the attackers stabbed him with a knife on his lower right side, but police found no evidence of a puncture wound.

“It looked like a big eight-inch scratch on his back,” said Chaudhary, who’s worked for the residence halls for three-and-a-half months.

Police found no weapons on the suspects, but a knife was recovered outside Douglas Hall. Police would not speculate if it was used in the attack.

“We would spend millions of dollars if it would stop all the crime that happens at the residence halls, but it wouldn’t,” Residential Life Director Willard Draper said. “These kinds of things happen in every community.”

RHOPs are trained to ask for two forms of identification from students when they enter after 11 p.m.: an NIU OneCard and a color-coded residence hall entry card. If the resident can’t produce any or either of the ID cards, the RHOP then must call the respective hall’s front desk to verify the resident’s name and room number.

“If I get attacked, basically I’m on my own,” RHOP Dennis Leaks said. “I mean, just because we wear a black vest and a badge doesn’t give us authority over other students. These are the people that I live with, go to class with, help me with my homework and suddenly I have to ask them for an ID or they’re not getting in, c’mon.”

RHOPs have two ways to communicate they are in danger if they are attacked by an intruder. One is to radio University Police for help and the other is to use the phone to call for assistance from an on-duty supervisor.

“I take it as a responsibility on my shoulders,” Chaudhary said, referring to his role as a door attendant. “It’s life. You have to deal with whatever happens.”

Draper said the Resident Hall Association reviews its security measures on a yearly basis, and incidents such as Sunday’s rarely occur.

RHOPs are given the option of working an 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift or a 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. shift. They have to work at least one night shift a week, said RHOP Lonnie Pollard, a junior management major.

They also are not allowed to carry any weapons, such as mace, to protect themselves because of liability issues. But if a fight does occur, RHOPs are trained to protect themselves and they can call for help.

“I tell them that we appreciate the work they do but to not put themselves in harm’s way,” Draper said. “We’re not in a penal institution and they’re not penal officers.”

RHA wants residents to know that in order to have the best security possible, they also must work with the RHOPs to ensure that the halls are safe.

“We could have bars on the windows, metal detectors at every door and retinal scans if we had to, but the best and most cost-efficient way is to have students take care of themselves and be aware of what’s happening,” Draper said.

RHOP Mellisa Davis agreed.

“I’m concerned,” Davis said. “If I were attacked, I’d try to get the person down and call police, but I don’t know if that’d work. I just know we don’t get paid enough for this.”