By Nicholas D. Williams, Assistant News Editor
With rumors swirling of a potentially more pronounced role of police on campus, here are the facts, directly from campus safety officials.
Some weeks ago, the Selinsgrove Police Department (SPD) was on patrol; as they drove down University Avenue, they came across a student with an open container of alcohol. Since this is illegal, regardless of age, they stopped to confront the individual.
Following the encounter, a conversation ensued between campus safety and SPD. The time of this was approximately 1:30 a.m.; Kris Brown, Director of Campus Safety, says that there were still parties going on at this time. While these parties were registered, the time was well past their scheduled ending time. Per University policy, a registered party must end by midnight on the specified date.
After that incident, Brown met with all the presidents of campus Greek life organizations. From this, they were able to create a new protocol to ensure that students can retain their weekend experiences without police intervention.
Moving forward, campus safety will be travelling University Avenue beginning at roughly 12:15 a.m. every Friday and Saturday. A similar approach will be taken for the 18th Street Commons, as that is another location that poses comparable issues.
Brown says if there are still parties going on that can be heard from outside of their location, campus safety will give you one warning and about 30 minutes to calm everything down. After the time has elapsed, if the party progresses SPD will be contacted to shut it down.
Also, Brown encourages students to read the University’s handbook and become familiar with the amnesty policy. While that policy protects you from serious repercussions from the school, it does not guarantee that you will not face charges from SPD or a possible meeting with school officials.
As more information is released, remain alert for any changes or updates to this policy.
