Perhaps I spoke too soon?

In response to my last entry regarding the SMU Drug Task Force report, I find myself deeply disillusioned. Since writing, the report has become official, and is now open for the public to read online. The report contains some compelling changes, and elements of the "logic" mentioned in my prior post, however, whether it will be enforced is another thing altogether.

This weekend, like most others, SMU Police did what it does best -- it sent an overwhelmingly unnecessary amount of police into fraternity houses. It is mildly irritating that this is their action on quiet nights of the week, yet, what is truly worrying is that I cannot, in my mind, see them relaxing in this behavior, whatsoever.

The Drug Task Force report, released last week, offers an image of SMU that is significantly different than what The Daily Campus, or the Police might lead you to believe. The report highlights characteristics of a police-run student body. That is, currently students reporting to be ill from alcohol may be severely punished for drinking afterwards, thus encouraging individuals to not visit a doctor. Or, perhaps more shocking, SMU's "Passive Participation" policy. A policy that, if you have not seen it in action before, holds any individual accountable for drinking, even if they are not drinking, but merely in the viscinity of the act. Thereby rendering some forms of sociability as illegal. The report suggests that such a policy is abolished. Furthermore, the program in which SMU students are encouraged to report their fellow students to the police is suggested to be reevaluated. There is a seemingly endless list of pointless measures that have been drawn into question in the past several weeks, and I am extremely grateful for this.

SMU Police, on the other hand, seemingly relies upon such policies in order to fill their monthly arrest and violation quotas. If you don't believe me, read the police reports published in The Daily Campus.

I do not mean to utterly undermine the SMU Police Force -- they do a wonderful job maintaining a safe campus. However, it is the policies set by SMU for the police to uphold that disturb me. I feel that they are so far ingrained into the psyche of SMU students and police officers, that it would be difficult to shy away from this culture. By all means I would love for some of the measures encouraged in the report to be set in place, however, the Student Senate will not be enough to ensure that this happens, or that it is enforced correctly.

Watch out for the police reports from this past weekend -- I'm sure they'll be fun to read.