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LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Students left out of gun decision
Letters to the Editor | 10/9/07
Posted online at 9:48 PM EST on 10/8/07
/ Last updated at 2:36 AM EST on 10/8/07
To the Editor:
There are many parts of the University's decision to arm our campus police officers that I find unsettling; however, nothing has angered me as much as the process used to make the decision. ("Reinharz decides to arm campus police," Sept. 18 issue). We students are the most vital component of the University. When a decision is made that has such a huge impact on campus life, I expect to at least be included in this process.
Now, one might argue that we were fairly represented; there were, after all, two undergraduates on this committee. This argument is utterly false. Two undergraduates are not enough to reflect the diversity of our wonderful community. Furthermore, by convening the committee during the summer, the administration swept all the controversy of their decision under the rug and precluded any real student investment or involvement in the issue.
And while students on this campus are important, we are far from the only ones here. The faculty and the many, many staff who work so hard to make this community what it is will be affected as well. Similar committees have been convened three times in Brandeis history. In each of those instances the faculty senate was consulted about the matter. Not so this time.
But what surprised me the most was when the two students on the committee described to me the type of deliberations that took place. The sole scope of the committee was to decide whether or not the campus police officers should carry firearms. There was never any discussion of non-lethal weapons or any other possible alternatives; it was only guns, yes or no. This type of thinking ignores the very real complexity of this issue. Moreover, the only outside speakers this committee heard from were law enforcement officials. There were no advocates against arming. The one-sided nature of the process is quite disturbing.
Never before have I had cause to be truly angry with our school's administration and the methods it is using. Aside from my issues with this misguided decision itself, my anger mainly stems from the fact that our school prides itself on social justice, but when confronted with an issue that impacts the entire community, shuts the doors, as if the decision had already been made before the discussion began. Thursday Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m. I am going with a group of students to President Reinharz's office to express our anger and to show him just how many students are not only angry about this decision, but feel shut out. I can't wait.
-Justin Backal-Balik '10
There are many parts of the University's decision to arm our campus police officers that I find unsettling; however, nothing has angered me as much as the process used to make the decision. ("Reinharz decides to arm campus police," Sept. 18 issue). We students are the most vital component of the University. When a decision is made that has such a huge impact on campus life, I expect to at least be included in this process.
Now, one might argue that we were fairly represented; there were, after all, two undergraduates on this committee. This argument is utterly false. Two undergraduates are not enough to reflect the diversity of our wonderful community. Furthermore, by convening the committee during the summer, the administration swept all the controversy of their decision under the rug and precluded any real student investment or involvement in the issue.
And while students on this campus are important, we are far from the only ones here. The faculty and the many, many staff who work so hard to make this community what it is will be affected as well. Similar committees have been convened three times in Brandeis history. In each of those instances the faculty senate was consulted about the matter. Not so this time.
But what surprised me the most was when the two students on the committee described to me the type of deliberations that took place. The sole scope of the committee was to decide whether or not the campus police officers should carry firearms. There was never any discussion of non-lethal weapons or any other possible alternatives; it was only guns, yes or no. This type of thinking ignores the very real complexity of this issue. Moreover, the only outside speakers this committee heard from were law enforcement officials. There were no advocates against arming. The one-sided nature of the process is quite disturbing.
Never before have I had cause to be truly angry with our school's administration and the methods it is using. Aside from my issues with this misguided decision itself, my anger mainly stems from the fact that our school prides itself on social justice, but when confronted with an issue that impacts the entire community, shuts the doors, as if the decision had already been made before the discussion began. Thursday Oct. 18 at 2:30 p.m. I am going with a group of students to President Reinharz's office to express our anger and to show him just how many students are not only angry about this decision, but feel shut out. I can't wait.
-Justin Backal-Balik '10
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