Earlier today fire alarms went off in Meeker, Munford, and other dorms around campus. It was alleged by an anonymous source that public safety had deliberately pulled the fire alarms in residences of students who had received citations for smoking marijuana in the past, then entered the rooms of those students in order to check for suspicious activities.
When I spoke to Public Safety this evening, they insisted that the alarms were part of the regular checks that officers do to ensure safety. However, multiple students with prior citations were confronted with officers who had visited their room, confiscated bongs, marijuana, and distributed citations. Others received texts from friends warning them that their fire alarms would go off next, and if they had citations they should be concerned.
Even if Public Safety did intend to conduct the alarm tests for the primary purpose of finding drugs, it is within the legal rights of the administration. However, I believe that this community, which has recently engaged in multiple public forums to cultivate a more trusting, supportive, and safe campus (It Happens Here, Alcohol Talks), has been betrayed by its administration. IF (and a very strong IF, since no one has confirmed or denied those intentions yet) it was deliberately to confiscate drugs, the actions of Public Safety have not only undermined efforts to create an open dialogue between students and administration, but will, I believe, lead to less honesty, less discretion, less respect, and many more problems in the future. So Middlebury, what do you think?
