The following is a transcript of a report by Team 4's Paul Van Osdol that first aired May 19, 2008, on WTAE Channel 4 Action News at 5 p.m.

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Four years ago, a Team 4 hidden-camera investigation found gaping holes in security at local college dorms.

But that was before the mass shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois.

In the wake of those horrific events, Team 4's Paul Van Osdol made another visit to local campuses.

The bottom line is, despite the high-profile shootings in the last year, nothing has changed at local colleges, said Van Osdol. It was just as easy for us to get into student dorms as it was four years ago.

Van Osdol also discovered that classrooms, where most of the carnage occurred at Virginia Tech, are also wide open in local colleges.

Duquesne University was rocked in 2006 when five basketball players were shot after leaving a dance at the student union in September 2006.

The shooting prompted Duquesne to host a seminar on gun violence last month. Security was tight, and people waited in long lines to go through a metal detector.

That same day, Team 4 took a hidden camera into Duquesne's largest dorm, the towers. There were no metal detectors there, just a student at the security desk who's supposed to keep watch as residents swipe their identification cards to enter the dorm.

But all Van Osdol had to do was follow a student and he was inside of the dorm with no questions asked. From there, he went on the elevator and had full access to the dorm, hallways, rooms and bathrooms.

Afterward, Team 4 headed to College Hall where many students attend class. There's a card swipe machine, but it's not being used, Van Osdol said. Duquesne said it's only activated nights and weekends, which gave Team 4 easy access to classrooms and students.

At the gun violence seminar, Van Osdol ran his findings past Tom Mauser, whose son was killed in the shooting rampage at Columbine High School nine years ago.

"That would be a concern of mine, certainly," he said. "I think, unfortunately, in this country, we tend to be reactive. It's not until someone walks into a dormitory unchecked and shoots someone that we say, 'Maybe we should be doing something about that.'"

Duquesne officials declined to talk on camera. In a statement, a spokesperson said we were allowed in the dorm "without proper procedures being conducted, which is unacceptable."

Because of the investigation, staff is being retrained.

At Carnegie Mellon University, Team 4 paid a visit the same day Chelsea Clinton was campaigning on campus for her mother. Just like Duquesne, the dorms at CMU require students to use swipe cards. And just like Duquesne, getting into a dorm was no problem.

Once Van Osdol arrived at Resnik House, he waited just two minutes before following a student into the dorm. There, he was able to wander the hallways and go into a student lounge.

He also found easy access to academic buildings, including Tepper Hall, home of the business school. There was no problem getting into classrooms or student lounges.

In a statement, a CMU spokesman said they have not had any incidents in residence halls this year that would cause concern about student safety. And the vast majority of students feel CMU is a safe campus.

Tom Kane, of Monroeville, is author of "Protect Yourself at College."

"The students tend to be lulled into a false sense of security, and that's a big part of the problem," he said. "They don't really understand what can happen to them."

Records show 285 serious crimes at area college campuses in 2006, including burglaries, assaults and rapes. One hundred-fifty of those crimes occurred in dorms.

At Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the number of burglaries inside dorms doubled from 2005 to 2006.

But Team 4 had no problem getting into Wallace Hall, where Van Osdol found plenty of open rooms. It was also easy access into nearby Esch Hall.

Both dorms have this sign on the outside doors warning that non-residents are not allowed without an escort.

"It's always a concern," said IUP housing director Michael Lemasters. "Again, that's why we try to work with the staff and not take things for granted."

Of the four schools Team 4 visited, the University of Pittsburgh was the only one where Van Osdol could not get into a dorm.

At Sutherland Hall, a security guard takes a student's card to swipe her in. When Van Osdol tried to talk his way in, the security guard wasn’t having it.

But at the Bouquet Gardens student apartments, there's no security, just a swipe card machine, which made it easy to access.

Kane said Team 4's investigation shows schools need to do a better job making sure students get the message that strangers don't belong in dorms.

"Even after Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois, students will continue to do this without realizing they're putting themselves in danger," said Kane.

Here are some tips from Kane:

Understand where potential problems could occur on and off campus.

Train yourself to expect the unexpected.

Know your surroundings at all times.

Never trust anyone you meet.

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