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Video related to this article is available below.Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: News
DPS, students aim for better dialogue
Minority leaders, administrators address racial profiling charges at University Council meeting
Jimmy Tobias
As the week-old investigation of alleged racial profiling continues within the Division of Public Safety, minority coalition leaders, DPS officials and representatives from the Office of the Provost sat down yesterday afternoon to touch base and brainstorm ways to improve DPS-student relations.
The meeting is yet another step in the University's ongoing conversation about various forms of alleged profiling and the reportedly excessive force used by Penn Police, concepts that were highlighted last week after a black male College student was temporarily detained by officers outside of Huntsman Hall.
The meeting - which included representatives from the United Minorities Council, the Asian Pacific Student Coalition and Lambda Alliance - focused on improving dialogue between the DPS and Penn students, Associate Provost Andrew Binns said.
"The key point was working on communication and how to do that with each other, … how to respond when things come up," Binns said.
DPS spokeswoman Karima Zedan echoed Binns' sentiments.
"We really focused on devising communication mechanisms that could facilitate a stronger ongoing relationship with students," she said.
One possible mechanism would be working with student leaders to develop material that would be posted on the DPS Web site to help inform students about Penn Police's policies and procedures.
Such education would include informing students that issuing a police complaint does not affect academic or financial records.
Zedan also stressed the need to train the constantly-changing group of student leaders on Penn's campus about how to interact with the Penn Police.
Lambda Alliance chairman and College junior Kevin Rurak said the meeting was productive but indicated that further meetings were in order.
"We talked about what happened last week," he said. "We asked a lot of questions about processes and procedures" within DPS.
Specifically, the students asked about police protocol and the guidelines police are given for instances in which they interact with students.
Zedan said the minority coalitions, the Office of the Provost and DPS will have another meeting before the end of the semester.
Later that evening, at the monthly University Council meeting, in which a wide variety of students, faculty and staff congregate to advise the administration, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced her support for the DPS investigation.
"Racial profiling and discrimination have no place at Penn," she said. "We are all committed to raising awareness and to strengthening mutual respect and trust among the members of our community."
UMC chairwoman and College sophomore Efe Johnson, who was instrumental in bringing Wednesday's incident to the University's attention, would not return repeated calls for comment.
The meeting is yet another step in the University's ongoing conversation about various forms of alleged profiling and the reportedly excessive force used by Penn Police, concepts that were highlighted last week after a black male College student was temporarily detained by officers outside of Huntsman Hall.
The meeting - which included representatives from the United Minorities Council, the Asian Pacific Student Coalition and Lambda Alliance - focused on improving dialogue between the DPS and Penn students, Associate Provost Andrew Binns said.
"The key point was working on communication and how to do that with each other, … how to respond when things come up," Binns said.
DPS spokeswoman Karima Zedan echoed Binns' sentiments.
"We really focused on devising communication mechanisms that could facilitate a stronger ongoing relationship with students," she said.
One possible mechanism would be working with student leaders to develop material that would be posted on the DPS Web site to help inform students about Penn Police's policies and procedures.
Such education would include informing students that issuing a police complaint does not affect academic or financial records.
Zedan also stressed the need to train the constantly-changing group of student leaders on Penn's campus about how to interact with the Penn Police.
Lambda Alliance chairman and College junior Kevin Rurak said the meeting was productive but indicated that further meetings were in order.
"We talked about what happened last week," he said. "We asked a lot of questions about processes and procedures" within DPS.
Specifically, the students asked about police protocol and the guidelines police are given for instances in which they interact with students.
Zedan said the minority coalitions, the Office of the Provost and DPS will have another meeting before the end of the semester.
Later that evening, at the monthly University Council meeting, in which a wide variety of students, faculty and staff congregate to advise the administration, Penn President Amy Gutmann announced her support for the DPS investigation.
"Racial profiling and discrimination have no place at Penn," she said. "We are all committed to raising awareness and to strengthening mutual respect and trust among the members of our community."
UMC chairwoman and College sophomore Efe Johnson, who was instrumental in bringing Wednesday's incident to the University's attention, would not return repeated calls for comment.
Viewing Comments 1 - 8 of 11
An Open Letter to Efe Johnson
posted 3/29/07 @ 8:44 AM EST
Ms. Johnson,
The next time you put yourself out as being the mouthpiece for a supposed victim of the alleged rampant discrimination and unlawful use of force on the part of the Penn Police, take the time to do your research first and get the facts straight. (Continued…)
penn junior
posted 3/29/07 @ 10:26 AM EST
when it comes to this sensationalized topic, the dp needs to drop it like it's hot.
To The Student In Question
posted 3/29/07 @ 12:19 PM EST
I feel bad for this guy who got the shit beat out of him and is too afraid to step forward...dude didn't do shit wrong but decided to leave Huntsman.. (Continued…)
Efe Johnson
posted 3/29/07 @ 12:52 PM EST
My personal decision to not be explicitly stated in DP articles stems from growing frustrations with being misrepresented by this newspaper beginning last Friday. (Continued…)
Dear Efe
posted 3/29/07 @ 2:36 PM EST
Efe: If you want to bitch about something, maybe you should start with the fact that black males commit the overwhelming majority of violent crimes against students on Penn's campus. (Continued…)
Michael J. Stevko-Penn Alum 06'
posted 3/29/07 @ 2:45 PM EST
Efe Johnson you pathetic and rank along the lines of other pathetic people such as Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton. You stir up non-existant issues for the purposes of justifying your unacceptable behavior. (Continued…)
Enough
posted 3/29/07 @ 6:01 PM EST
The thing is, Efe Johnson will look at all these posts regarding her behavior, sit back and tut tut the rest of us for being intellectually and morally inferior. (Continued…)
THE TRUTH
posted 3/29/07 @ 6:04 PM EST
The reality is that ther are instances of racial profiling that exist in our country and that should be addressed. HOWEVER, this is not one of them. This is not the case of some young professional looking brother being accosted by police for "walking while black" or "driving while black. (Continued…)
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