The following letter from my alma mater struck a chord with me. I remember the same feeling when I was an undergrad. Their mentality was not "we're here to protect you" it was "we're here to keep you in line." Granted a great many of us were immature alcohol soaked kids but that doesn't mean you have to give us the hairy eyeball every time you see us. When I was there, most of the time we were really tame. We mostly wanted to play loud music, drink some beer and try to hook up with someone. Really. Fighting was a rare thing, drugs were even more rare (aside from the occasional joint) and vandalism was frequent but usually very minor. However, we couldn't just sit in our rooms and hang out. We were always dreading the Gestapo like (yes, I know Godwin's Law) knock on the door with a gruff voice saying "Security". On some occassions, there were like three of us sitting around having a beer and listening to some music or playing cards. Getting busted with even a single beer was serious.
In my mind, this exacerbated the problem more than it solved it. Too tight a leash causes as many problems as one too loose. If they had kept things loose until someone got out of control, things would have been much smoother. I know there's the risk of losing federal funding but really, how likely is that? Has any school ever been denied funding for not enforcing alcohol rules?
When I went to visit a friend a University of Rochester, it was exactly the opposite. I don't recall seeing a single campus cop. The students would have kegs in the hallways and nobody cared. I think nobody cared because they were not going to lose their funding. Ever been to State College, PA? You can walk around with an open beer pretty much anywhere unmolested. The cops have too much importing work to do without hassling someone for petty nonsense.
Letter: Students should not be treated as criminals: "
I am feeling a little unsettled by what was written in the final installment of the articles involving campus police. Tim Fox speaks of 'the difficulty of the transition from dealing with criminals to dealing with students,' the problem being that many of the campus officers have a background in the military and police forces that impedes on their duties here at Loyola College.
I don't believe that their backgrounds are excuses for their attitude towards and treatment of students in certain situations.
While their knowledge of law enforcement probably does assist in the carrying out of duties here on campus, and a lift from York Road or jumper cables are always welcome, their behavior speaks louder than their words.
I am not a criminal. Do not treat me like I am one. I am a member of this community and deserve to feel safe and unthreatened. I understand that there are instances in which force is needed.
If a student's behavior is a threat to others it should be quelled, but there seem to be too many instances in which an officer unjustly uses force. This is absolutely uncalled for and they should be dealt with accordingly. If I fail to 'obey directives' I can be kicked off campus and face expulsion if I return, even if it's to grab food at Primo's.
However, the officer who assaults a student seems to get a slap on the wrist and is sent back out into the community.
If an officer can't differentiate between criminal life and Loyola college life, this is not the environment in which he or she should be working.
They should be employed at a juvenile detention center or a military academy in which their attitude and behavior is encouraged.
Jana Konys '07
English"
In my mind, this exacerbated the problem more than it solved it. Too tight a leash causes as many problems as one too loose. If they had kept things loose until someone got out of control, things would have been much smoother. I know there's the risk of losing federal funding but really, how likely is that? Has any school ever been denied funding for not enforcing alcohol rules?
When I went to visit a friend a University of Rochester, it was exactly the opposite. I don't recall seeing a single campus cop. The students would have kegs in the hallways and nobody cared. I think nobody cared because they were not going to lose their funding. Ever been to State College, PA? You can walk around with an open beer pretty much anywhere unmolested. The cops have too much importing work to do without hassling someone for petty nonsense.
Letter: Students should not be treated as criminals: "
I am feeling a little unsettled by what was written in the final installment of the articles involving campus police. Tim Fox speaks of 'the difficulty of the transition from dealing with criminals to dealing with students,' the problem being that many of the campus officers have a background in the military and police forces that impedes on their duties here at Loyola College.
I don't believe that their backgrounds are excuses for their attitude towards and treatment of students in certain situations.
While their knowledge of law enforcement probably does assist in the carrying out of duties here on campus, and a lift from York Road or jumper cables are always welcome, their behavior speaks louder than their words.
I am not a criminal. Do not treat me like I am one. I am a member of this community and deserve to feel safe and unthreatened. I understand that there are instances in which force is needed.
If a student's behavior is a threat to others it should be quelled, but there seem to be too many instances in which an officer unjustly uses force. This is absolutely uncalled for and they should be dealt with accordingly. If I fail to 'obey directives' I can be kicked off campus and face expulsion if I return, even if it's to grab food at Primo's.
However, the officer who assaults a student seems to get a slap on the wrist and is sent back out into the community.
If an officer can't differentiate between criminal life and Loyola college life, this is not the environment in which he or she should be working.
They should be employed at a juvenile detention center or a military academy in which their attitude and behavior is encouraged.
Jana Konys '07
English"
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