As I read Monday's Daily News editorial about reaction to a recent campus incident - and the ensuing discussion on campus - I was moved to share my perspective on the issues.
Working from a factual basis is of the utmost importance. So that all members of our community can be well-informed as they consider what they hear, read and talk about, I want to outline what took place on Friday.
At approximately 12:20 a.m., Public Safety received the first of five calls complaining of noise coming from LaFollette Field. An officer responded to the first call and found a large group of students playing tag. He asked the group to quiet down, then he departed.
Several minutes later, additional calls were received complaining of noise at the same location. An officer was dispatched to ask the same group to leave.
Around 12:45 a.m., two additional calls were received complaining of noise on the north side of Worthen Arena. Four officers, including the supervising officer, responded. The officers informed the people in the group they were violating the city's noise ordinance and needed to disperse. The group took approximately 15 minutes to comply with the officers' requests.
After departing from Worthen Arena, approximately 40 students walked to the Public Safety office to complain. Eight students filed written complaints, and an additional six students signed the complaints as witnesses.
The complaints cited disrespectful treatment by the officers; specifically, the complaints alleged that one officer used the phrase "get the hell out of here." If this comment was made, it was certainly inappropriate and in violation of Public Safety policy. If we find that policy was violated, action will be taken.
In addition, some complaints asserted the students should not have been asked to leave the area because they were not doing anything wrong. It is important to note that none of the complaints alleged racial harassment or statements.
It is established Public Safety protocol to investigate every formal complaint filed. This process includes interviews with the complainants, witnesses and officers involved, as well as a review of the police report. The department has already begun investigating the complaints filed regarding the Friday incident, and the process will be completed within the next week.
Even though the available facts do not point to racism, there is something very important about this word arising in connection with this event. The fact is, there is a feeling of discomfort being expressed by a number of students on our campus, and we need to listen to that carefully.
We work hard to make Ball State University a welcoming environment in which all students feel comfortable and connected to the university. When students express concerns about campus climate, we take them quite seriously.
After the incidents last fall in which unknown motorists yelled racial slurs from cars driving through campus, students identified three specific issues they thought would improve the climate for diversity on campus: improving campus safety, enhancing campus programming and improving classroom climate, including a diversity requirement as part of the Core Curriculum.
In January, three action teams of students, faculty and staff began working with many campus constituents to address these issues. Preliminary recommendations reflecting the work of these teams will be seen in the coming months with programming, a new bias- or hate-related incident reporting and response protocol, a diversity Web site and an ongoing awareness campaign that will be launched next fall.
As we move forward to make Ball State the most supportive, vibrant educational community it can be for each and every student, I invite any member of our community who might be interested to serve on one of these action teams.
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