Past Issues:

December 2002
November 2002
October 2002

A campus-wide forum, held on November 19, was called to address the community’s concerns over breeches of security this fall. We have had car break-ins, robberies, thefts from residence halls and other places, and a stabbing. Even one major crime is too many on a campus; therefore, this seemingly developing trend was particularly alarming. In response, President Hersh enlisted the help of off-duty Hartford police officers to supplement the security provided by our own Campus Safety force and the normal patrols by Hartford Police Department (HPD). 

While the additional help from police officers brought comfort to many people on campus and to many Trinity parents, it raised anxiety among others about the potential for profiling and discriminatory treatment of some members of our community, especially students of color. Furthermore, students brought to our attention specific incidents of being treated as a “suspect” not only by security personnel but by fellow students. 

The forum provided an opportunity to air these concerns and to emphasize three important messages: 

1) We will not tolerate profiling on this campus. Both Captain Mark Pawlina of the HPD and Director of Security Charles Morris agreed emphatically that officers must treat all people with respect. As was stated by a student at the forum: there may be “suspicious conduct” that prompts intervention, but there are no “suspicious people.” 

2) We all have a role to play in creating better security on campus and, since most criminal acts are “crimes of opportunity,” simple acts of prevention can make a difference. Campus statistics show that those who walk in groups, keep windows and doors locked when not in the room or office, call for a security escort, stay on well-lit paths, and park in campus lots are less likely to be victimized. 

3) In watching out for our own security, we must be careful not to judge others on the basis of stereotypes about sex, race, or ethnicity, or fall prey to facile generalizations about the likelihood of a crime being committed by someone within the Trinity community versus someone from the neighborhood around us. As we know too well, crime is a fact of life everywhere and those who would take advantage of others come from both sexes, all racial/ethnic groups, and any neighborhood. 

The forum was moderated by Ben Wonzer ’05, and faculty, administrators, and many students spoke out candidly. Some students articulated the pain of being targeted as suspicious by their colleagues and others; some called for quick action by faculty and administrators to remedy the problems; some suggested ways to form a more caring community. One student urged that we introduce ourselves to each other as we walk about the campus and get to know each other better as individuals, thus lessening dependence upon faulty stereotypes. 

The forum should be seen as just the beginning of a process of rebuilding community, broadening responsibility for security, and ensuring that—in all senses of the word—all people on campus feel safe. 

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