"I simply had hoped that an open dialogue between frustrated students, the policy makers and those who enforce that policy would reduce tension between the students and Campus Police," said Park.
The majority of the residence counselor (RC) staff attended the meeting, as well as other students, Chief of Campus Police John Carter, Campus Police Officer Ali Wicks-Lim, other Campus Police officers, Dean of Students Ben Lieber, Assistant Dean of Students Samuel Haynes and Director of Facilities, Planning and Management Jim Brassord.
Carter opened the discussion by stating that the Campus Police have a carefully balanced role on campus. "It is a very delicate line we tread here," he said, describing the conflict between enforcement of laws and the desire for a relatively non-intrusive police force. Brassord added that the fundamental purpose of the Campus Police and associated departments is to "protect and serve the campus community."
Lieber noted that the forum served an important and valuable purpose. "Tensions are rising," he said. "It was not a good fall in certain ways." Lieber also noted that the College has been swept up in the nationwide trend of increasing hard-alcohol consumption. He suggested that a rise in the number of College students sent to the hospital indicates that this trend is a dangerous one. Furthermore, he suggested a possible correlation between the rise in hard-alcohol consumption with the increased number of behavioral incidents, such as fights and destructive behavior.
Students in attendance questioned the Campus Police officers and administrators about a variety of issues. Paris Wallace '04 asked the Campus Police to address a perceived rise in the level of violence on campus. Carter, whose understanding of the situation was echoed by other officers, suggested that it is very difficult for Campus Police to know how to deal with violence on campus because of the low reporting rate of incidents. "How do we get people to be active bystanders?" asked Wicks-Lim. She added that there will be a program on campus to address this specific issue in the future.
RC Courtney Dowd '04 said that she thinks that one of the problems is communication between all parties. "The difficulty is the general inconsistency in policy," she said. "As far as discipline goes, I think we need to take a serious look at the disciplinary code ... People need to know what the consequences are."
Peter Harper '05 questioned the Campus Police on their approach to noise complaints and the procedure for shutting down parties. Harper said that he perceives that "Campus Police are coming in for a noise complaint not to curtail the noise but to shut down the party." He also advanced the argument that a more stringent policy restricting campus parties could lead to a higher incidence of in-room alcohol consumption that Carter referred to as a "pre-loading." "That's when people drink themselves to death," said Harper.
Carter, the other officers and administrators addressed Harper's concerns but added that, when officers encounter a party and evidence of underage alcohol consumption, they are under legal obligation to react.
"We can't stand at the door and check IDs," said Carter. "Our best course of action is to shut it down." Wicks-Lim added that the College and officers must also take liability into consideration. "It is a huge weight left upon your shoulders when you make the choice to shut down an event," she said, explaining that if a student were to be hurt as a consequence of an ignored party, Campus Police would be legally responsible.
As a conclusion to the forum, Park responded to a suggestion made by RC Jose Abad '03 to continue the discussion in a committee format. "I am hoping to assemble a committee of Campus Police officers, students and administrators that will act specifically as an ongoing forum for students to voice their concerns with the policing system," Park said. "A committee would give the Campus Police an opportunity to officially respond to student concerns, increasing the overall transparency of the policing system at Amherst."