2008 Woodie Awards
Oppressive police presence spoils Homecoming atmosphere
Issue date: 10/21/05 Section: Opinion
This past weekend was Homecoming weekend here at the Rock, and there's probably two things the students saw on a regular basis:
Alumni and police.
Having the SRU alumni come back is great, since that's the entire point of homecoming. However, seeing police on every corner watching the students all the time is not so great. If the campus wants to invite people, or welcome them back, how can you do that when everything being done is constantly monitored? That creates a reason for more and more people to not come back, and spend their time doing other things to avoid constantly wondering, "Are the cops going to barge in on us?"
And for students, that can't be a good atmosphere for Homecoming. This is an event that happens once a year, and yet the atmosphere around it is much like convincing yourself to study for that mid-term this week. You really would rather do something else, but you have to go because it's Homecoming and it only happens once a year.
That kind of feeling around campus doesn't help SRU's reputation as a "suitcase campus." What student would want to stay up here and risk getting a citation or being led away in handcuffs on a weekend that traditionally has some of the most arrests of the entire year? Not to mention the risk of getting that little thing called a "fine", which will make that college student even more broke.
It's curious to wonder why this happens on Homecoming weekend, anyway. It's not like students don't party good time during the other 14 weeks of the semester. Yet the police blotter is considerably smaller and the police presence, especially on campus, is much less prevalent. And the reasoning? That's a good question, as there's nothing that suggests there should be. Oh, the Liquor Control Board is usually here on Homecoming, too. Sounds like a cheap excuse for the LCB to collect even more money from college students who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That's why at The Rocket, we feel that the police should let college students actually be college students during Homecoming weekend. That way, the atmosphere is more inviting for everybody and we can all have a festive time.
Alumni and police.
Having the SRU alumni come back is great, since that's the entire point of homecoming. However, seeing police on every corner watching the students all the time is not so great. If the campus wants to invite people, or welcome them back, how can you do that when everything being done is constantly monitored? That creates a reason for more and more people to not come back, and spend their time doing other things to avoid constantly wondering, "Are the cops going to barge in on us?"
And for students, that can't be a good atmosphere for Homecoming. This is an event that happens once a year, and yet the atmosphere around it is much like convincing yourself to study for that mid-term this week. You really would rather do something else, but you have to go because it's Homecoming and it only happens once a year.
That kind of feeling around campus doesn't help SRU's reputation as a "suitcase campus." What student would want to stay up here and risk getting a citation or being led away in handcuffs on a weekend that traditionally has some of the most arrests of the entire year? Not to mention the risk of getting that little thing called a "fine", which will make that college student even more broke.
It's curious to wonder why this happens on Homecoming weekend, anyway. It's not like students don't party good time during the other 14 weeks of the semester. Yet the police blotter is considerably smaller and the police presence, especially on campus, is much less prevalent. And the reasoning? That's a good question, as there's nothing that suggests there should be. Oh, the Liquor Control Board is usually here on Homecoming, too. Sounds like a cheap excuse for the LCB to collect even more money from college students who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
That's why at The Rocket, we feel that the police should let college students actually be college students during Homecoming weekend. That way, the atmosphere is more inviting for everybody and we can all have a festive time.
