Photo courtesy of Daniella Heminghaus
After events surrounding the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, campus security will stay the same, said Vice President, Karen Pennington.
“We have reviewed our current policies and procedures with regard to these types of events, and believe that they provide an opportunity for the community to appropriately express their opinions, while doing so in ways that do not disrupt the activities of the campus or endanger members of the community,” said Pennington.
Security is allotted depending on the type and size of planned events, she said. The amount of security will continue to vary.
“A campus is a place where individuals should use the many opportunities available to listen, to think, to learn and discuss,” said Pennington.
“We hope that students and others will use those opportunities productively and create dialogue that informs and challenges. Violence and disruption are never the answer, as the message gets lost and the possibility for understanding is gone.”
The Vice President also said that for events with controversial speakers or programs, the University’s focus is to allow education within the boundaries of keeping campus safe.
French major, Margaret Sanchez, said although the University is diverse and seems like protests would not get out of hand, it is tough to say if “case by case” is rational.
“What would happen if things escalate, and you said there is going to be this amount of security, what happens if it is too understaffed with security,” said the 26-year-old.
“I know some of the officers… so as long as their prepared, I’m comfortable with it,” said 19-year-old, Kara Rector, who used to work with EMS on campus. She mentioned that EMS also had training and certain procedures when it comes to events like protests.
