p. 6
Government (continued from page 1)
Security (continued from page I)
to it which would enable him to
respond, or at least be aware of
student concerns.
"Get off your ass," Parks said
in a very non-confrontational
manner. "We have a president
willing to listen to us. Now is
the time to take control."
While Schumacher has a
different agenda, she and Parks
see eye to eye on the subject of
communication.
"There has been a break down
in communication over the
years," she said.
The result of which is one of
Schumacher's top priorities:
Campus Police-always a
touchy subject.
She was quick to jump to the
defense of both students and
security, though. She empha
sized that blame lay on both
sides of the perspective, which
only served to escalate existing
tensions
"We've had so many problems
and dilemmas that someone
needs to take the bull by the
horns," stated Schumacher.
According to her, the root of
the problem lies in the lack of
respect students have for secu
rity and vice versa.
"I, personally, feel like I was
the recipient of some very
hostile behavior last year," she
explained.
Naturally, security probably
felt much the same way.
Schumacher wants to up the
level of communications be
tween students and police.
She wants to have campus
security introduced at all of the
dorm meetings that take place at
the beginning of the year. This
would help eliminate the face
lessness of security and stu-,
dents.
Schumacher also hopes that
Theiron Young, head of campus
security, will attend Senate
meetings whenever he has a
problem that needs to be voiced.
Because Senate represents the
student body. Young and other
officers could use the forum,
already available to all students,
to discuss problems.
Other suggestions on ways to
bolster the lines of communica
tion are to have an SGA confer
ence column in editions of The
Lance. Students could read
about the issues under discus
sion and use the paper as an
other forum.
Schumacher also wants to see
St. Andrews develop as a truly
environmentally aware campus.
She hopes to use Eco-Action,
headed by Chris Ferner, as the
vehicle for this change.
Dorms now elect an environ
mental chair who monitors
recycling efforts and energy
conservation within the dorm.
Finally, Schumacher wants to
work toward empowering the
SGA chain of command which
would ultimately lead toward a
stronger chain of communica
tion.
"People at all levels of leader
ship must feel that what they're
doing is important,"
Schumacher explained.
For those of you who don't
know the SGA set up it is (in
descending order): Cabinet,
Senate, Dorm Council, Suite
Leaders and students.
This year, all students in
leadership positions will be
taking a formal pledge in Octo
ber.
"Kellam and I are revising the
student government this year.
We're starting at the grass roots
level to make drastic changes in
a system that isn't workings
"Hopefully, in the following
years, people won't have to
make so many changes—instead
they can attack problems head
on," said Schumacher.
discretionary powers.
As a private institution, on
privately owned property, the
College has the authority and
responsibility to establish rules
and regulations which may
require academic, moral and
ethical behavior that is consid
ered above the standards of
society at large. As an example,
you generally have a right to
wear whatever you want in this
country, but some private
colleges require that you wear a
uniform while in attendance.
This is not meant to take away
from your rights as a citizen of
the country, but to further
specify how your rights work
within the framework of the
conditions set for membership
in the College. The bottom line,
however, is that the College
cannot establish ways of dealing
with situations that are contrary
to or against the law.
We are fortunate to have
trained and competent officers
on staff at St. Andrews. Their
training at the North Carolina
Basic Law Enforcement Officer
Training Course provides them
the skills necessary to support
their discretionary powers. Their
on-going training and debriefing
with college staff allowfe them a
judicial process to support their
efforts. They, together with
Residence Life staff, prWide the
front-line response to campus.
This team of professionally
trained individuals comprise the
foundation of safety, security,
and community building on this
campus.
The basic student right on any
campus is to be empowered to
make choices about behavior.
The basic responsibility is to
accept the consequences of your
choices. The institution's prima
ry responsibility in all of this is
to make clear the conditions of
membership and the conse
quences for violations of those
conditions. A secondary respon
sibility of the institution, in my
mind, is to be non-judgemental
about student choices of behav
ior—to have reasonable expecta
tions for responsible behavior
choices and for community
contribution and allow students
to make choices, holding them
responsible without making
judgments about their person-
hood.
When you put all of this
together, you have a college
community that is always
changing by virtue of the influx
of new students each year and
the on-going personal growth
and development that is the
pulse of an institution of higher
learning. Within the organiza
tion are operational units with
responsibility for its various
functions. Public Safety/Cam
pus Police and Resident Life
share the front-line responsibil
ity of enforcement of college
policy. The institution provides
the framework for enforcement
through the development of
policies that are clearly stated,
with consequences identified
and with a process in place to
adjudicate cases of violation of
policy. Students set the tone and
create the environment by their
level of acceptance of responsi
bility for their choices.
I think we are past that time
when we truly fear there is a
"Big Brother" watching over us.
Perhaps the somber reality is
that it sometimes feels as if no
one is watching over us. We
walk a fine line of when we
want to be watched over and
when we don't, when we want
someone there and when we
don't. Somewhere within that
duplicity is where the profes
sionals in Public Safety/Campus
Police find their work. We will
strive to define that place to
gether, students, faculty and
staff throughout the academic
year.
"I know what you're thinking about," said Tweedledum; "but it isn't so, nohow."
Contrariwise," continued Tweedledee, "if it was so, it might be; and if it were so, it would be; but as it isn't, it ain't. That's logic
-Lewis Carroll-