Freakin Campus Safety
For the first time (maybe) ever I have extremely bitter and frustrated feelings towards Campus Safety. Here's the story:
The other night we had our closing banquet for The Academy. One of our students, was picking up several of us leaders and some other students in his big giant conversion van to drive us to the Caf Banquet Room (its a long walk in a skirt). Now, before he stopped to get us he pulled about 4 donuts around the Hope roundabout. He was going fairly fast, the van looked like it was going to tip. But we were the only people there and he's in high school. We refused to get into the van unless he promised not to drive like that. He promised. We got into the van, and observed the 15 mile per hour speed limit across campus. Right before we reached our destination a c.s. officer (who, I might add, had come over the night before, wrapped someone's ankle for them and then led the group in worship) stepped out into the middle of the road and directed Kenny very sternly into a nearby parking spot. Kenny parked turned the car off and listened to the officer ask "do you know why I pulled you over?" We were all very perplexed in the back, hoping it wasn't because we weren't wearing seatbelts for the quarter mile drive. The officer stuck his head in the car, asked if all the adults could step out. As we climbed out of the van in our makeup and skirts and blown dry hair I noticed that two other squad cars had arrived on the scene. They all looked very angry and very worried. The long and short of it: Kenny got a brief lecture, we got let off the hook because we werent in the car when it happened, Kenny didnt get a ticket because they couldn't enforce it, and we were told that if anyone other students did that they would get kicked off campus. We apologized to the officers and went to our banquet.
Now I understand that apparently donuts are illegal. But where did these officers come from? They were nowhere to be seen when the event occured--was this because of the new security cameras? In which case, which lame switchboard operator thought it neccessary to dispatch three officers? There were also four of us leaders in the vehicle, would they have really charged us or were they just trying to get the kids? Why three officers? People fly down the uppercampus strip at 30 mph now that the speedbumps are gone--why arent they ticketing those people?
Later that night I got an officer to unlock my office where I had left my cell phone. I do not have a set of keys to my office because I'm not important enough. However, I didn't need to get my name to get into that office, I didn't need to prove that I worked there, I didn't need anything. They just unlocked it for me, just like that. I'm not encouraging criminals, here. I'm just a little confused on the priorities of our Campus Safety.
The other night we had our closing banquet for The Academy. One of our students, was picking up several of us leaders and some other students in his big giant conversion van to drive us to the Caf Banquet Room (its a long walk in a skirt). Now, before he stopped to get us he pulled about 4 donuts around the Hope roundabout. He was going fairly fast, the van looked like it was going to tip. But we were the only people there and he's in high school. We refused to get into the van unless he promised not to drive like that. He promised. We got into the van, and observed the 15 mile per hour speed limit across campus. Right before we reached our destination a c.s. officer (who, I might add, had come over the night before, wrapped someone's ankle for them and then led the group in worship) stepped out into the middle of the road and directed Kenny very sternly into a nearby parking spot. Kenny parked turned the car off and listened to the officer ask "do you know why I pulled you over?" We were all very perplexed in the back, hoping it wasn't because we weren't wearing seatbelts for the quarter mile drive. The officer stuck his head in the car, asked if all the adults could step out. As we climbed out of the van in our makeup and skirts and blown dry hair I noticed that two other squad cars had arrived on the scene. They all looked very angry and very worried. The long and short of it: Kenny got a brief lecture, we got let off the hook because we werent in the car when it happened, Kenny didnt get a ticket because they couldn't enforce it, and we were told that if anyone other students did that they would get kicked off campus. We apologized to the officers and went to our banquet.
Now I understand that apparently donuts are illegal. But where did these officers come from? They were nowhere to be seen when the event occured--was this because of the new security cameras? In which case, which lame switchboard operator thought it neccessary to dispatch three officers? There were also four of us leaders in the vehicle, would they have really charged us or were they just trying to get the kids? Why three officers? People fly down the uppercampus strip at 30 mph now that the speedbumps are gone--why arent they ticketing those people?
Later that night I got an officer to unlock my office where I had left my cell phone. I do not have a set of keys to my office because I'm not important enough. However, I didn't need to get my name to get into that office, I didn't need to prove that I worked there, I didn't need anything. They just unlocked it for me, just like that. I'm not encouraging criminals, here. I'm just a little confused on the priorities of our Campus Safety.
posted by Abigail at 3:36 PM
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