Of quite a few schools, it’s hard to handle. This could have been handled a little better, in fact. Some of you may know that I’ve lived and taught in Tempe, Palo Alto, Santa Cruz, Olympia, Las Vegas and The City. I’ve worked with campus cops extensively as the faculty first responder, and it’s a shit-show every day. While tenured in Olympia I was facilitating a microscopy lab practical put-on by myself and my co-teacher. She came into my lab at about 11:00 hrs, 2 hours into the exam and explained that one of our students had abandoned the exam to use the bathroom but never returned. It was a single occupancy unisex room that she explained had been locked for quite some time. As one of the faculty WFRs I immediately called the campus police because they have keys, readied my readybag, put gloves on and my blood pressure went through the roof imagining what I’d have to respond to. I was expecting the worst; another suicide (we’d had several over the years, that’s why the State paid for our training). Cop showed-up, unlocked the door and my only thought was “if I find a body behind this door my week is over”. Lo-and-behold, the minute the cop unlocked the door it wouldn’t open because there was a body behind it. The cop and I went instantly into AVPU triage mode and pulled our readybags out to start CPR or whatever was needed. Luckily my college had a dedicated Fire/EMS station on campus to respond at a moments notice. Also luckily, the poor kid hadn’t done anything but take a nap because he’d been up for two weeks studying to overcome the rigor of our curriculum. EMS arrived, determined he was in good health and hauled him to St. Pete’s (the hospital) for evaluation. My point is two-fold: most cops are good, well-meaning people (your personal experiences may differ but this is how mine exists). But as faculty and campus police, teaching and policing are a little different on campus than in an alley behind La Cienega or Sunset; students are young people - young adults - still trying to pique their identities and personalities and colleges are safe places for them to do that. Agreed, rules are rules and that’s one of the prime lessons, but if we don’t as teachers or authorities understand - or refuse to understand - that these young people are just now finding their voices, in a place that promotes them to speak up, promotes what they stand-up for, promotes what their priorities are; we’re putting them in an impossible situation. brute force only perpetuates the belief that someone is out to get them if they have an opposing perspective. Most students don’t know exactly what their perspective is yet - and if they want to identify with something, let them! They’re just cheering and ranting about something that’s important to them right now - in general they have no vested interest and are trying to be moral, to make a statement or to - better said - define themselves as their future human selves. The cops don’t have that as a priority and are given orders in a lonely chain of command that limit them to not having any latitude or grace in the situation. That’s the contrast in understanding this.
The campus cops I knew were for the most part super cool and understood. Protests happen, that’s a part of college. Putting an indelible mark on someone’s public record because they camped-out peacefully and stood-up for something as a young adult is a political failure for the authorities. Sure, if someone violates a legit statute, that’s prosecutable, but typically the prosecutor will defer pending mitigating information. But all these kids did was trample a bit of lawn and make noise. That’s what students do.
God, every Wednesday I’d sit in my office and at 15:00 there would be a drum circle on the lawn on Red Square. It distracted me, but that’s what makes college college.
If they’re not starting fires, let them grow and do their thing!
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