The president of Parents and Friends of UH Manoa expressed exactly what many residents wondered in the wake of two break-ins — including one in which an 18-year-old female freshman was attacked — at University of Hawai'i dorms.

"How could this have happened?" asked Dr. Theresa Wee, and UH officials certainly owe her, and the rest of the community, an answer.

Leaving the Hale Aloha dormitory lobby desk unmanned in the wee hours of the morning, as it's been on some days, forces the student residents to assume too great a risk.

It's heartening that lobby staffing is being expanded, as it should, to 24/7 coverage, and that $2 million is being spent on lighting and other improvements.

Also, security officials are working on a plan to require lobby check-in for the freshman dormitories. The current protocol for after-hours access to the dorms — the use of a key to open the building door and operate the elevator — is evidently insufficient to protect students. It's essential that direct oversight of entrances be implemented as soon as possible.

The campus administration has been meeting with faculty and staff, as well as with a safety and security committee that included students. So far, administrators have contemplated three security options: