By Staff Writer Maddie Kenn.
On Saturday, October 28th, the 2018 World Series game between the Red Sox and the Dodgers was broadcasted on the Fox channel around 8:15pm. Sox and Dodgers fans met up with friends to watch the game and potentially celebrate the winning team.
The DPS (the police officers on campus) were aware of the crowds gathering for the game at the Dells.
Three units were found parked outside the apartments five minutes before the game had started. By the end of the night, a total of about fifteen cop cars were spotted surrounding the Dells and the World Series party-goers.
A few students who were watching the game had noticed the police officers circling the buildings but were confident that “the party won’t be stopped”. It is understandable as to why the DPS found it necessary to be aware and on the lookout of suspicious behavior, however, the question spreading among campus is, “was it completely necessary to have more than one, or at the most, two, cars parked at the circle?”.
It is fair to say that it is the concern of the Umass Dartmouth faculty to keep students safe, however, students should not feel that their “personal space is being invaded and is constantly being monitored”, especially when their intention is to just watch a baseball game. To Umass Dartmouth’s defense, it was previous actions of students that were involved in worrisome behaviors and activities that resulted in the addition of police officers on duty during specific events held at the Dells.
The frustration of students and Dell residents isn’t coming directly from the police presence, but the number of cars on scene. A Sophomore on campus studying Biology, who would like to remain anonymous, stated that “It feels as if our school lost trust in its students and is punishing everyone for a few people’s mistakes. My buddies and I just wanted to watch the game, and we felt guilty as we saw all of the cop cars, even though we did nothing wrong”.
Students have also mentioned that on that Saturday night, vehicles operated by students were being stopped by officers and were being questioned, as they exited the Dells parking lot.
Police presence is definitely necessary and it is reasonable as to why officers monitor the Dells, however, students shouldn’t feel as if they are barricaded in by officers. As paying residents, students should have at least some freedom and privacy to hang out with friends without being scrutinized.
A similar conflict was discussed in the newspaper a few weeks ago, about whether or not the Cops are ruining Halloween at the Dells. This seems to be a hot topic going around campus recently, and students argue whether or not it is fair for students to be investigated as frequently as they are.
It also seems like the cop cars are focusing mainly on the Dells rather than the other upperclassman buildings, such as Ivy and Evergreen. Students question whether it’s fair to seclude the partying to one location, as there are definitely parties held on other parts of campus.
For now, this is a topic that will continue to frustrate Umass Dartmouth students; residents and commuters, but will eventually fade away and will be lost in time…or so we can hope.
Although hoping would certainly be an option to help the scenario, taking action can also be a way to address the situation. Students who are angered by this, particularly Dell residents, can simply bring this up in an appropriate time and place, listing the issues they have with the amount of cops present when an event takes place, or even on the weekends. If presented respectfully, our faculty will listen, if one desires to be heard.