Get Herald RSSStudents are divided over the University's response to the alleged incident of police brutality that occurred in September, according to a poll conducted by The Herald in late October and early November.
The poll, which was administered to 648 undergraduates and has a 3.8 percent margin of error, found that 48.9 percent of respondents strongly approve or somewhat approve of the University's response, while 27.3 percent somewhat disapprove or strongly disapprove. About a quarter of students said they didn't know or had no answer.
Benjamin Boas '06.5, a member of the University's Public Safety Oversight Committee, a campus advisory board that reviews Department of Public Safety practices and policies, said the poll results "definitely reflect that the administration and DPS have been doing a great job."
"I would say in most communities you wouldn't get numbers showing that people approve of their local police department," Boas said. "I think it reflects well that people have an opinion at all, let alone a positive one."
Boas said the poll showed that most student interactions with DPS are positive. But the Coalition for Police Accountability and Institutional Transparency maintains that the poll results "do nothing to speak to the experience of the minority," according to a Nov. 20 statement e-mailed to The Herald in response to the poll.
"The majority of students on campus probably take no issue with the police, have never been victim of police brutality or harassment, and never will be," Co-PAIT members wrote in the statement. "We organize for those students and community members who represent the minority on this campus, those who do face the very real impact of a broken system."
Nicole Thompson '08 said she was disappointed but not surprised that the University provided "no real response" to the Sept. 10 incident.
"I think the University handled it like most states would - trying to shove it under the rug and saying 'we're all equal' when that's really not the case," Thompson said. "I just feel like it's nothing new."
Co-PAIT's statement said the University administration, DPS and the Providence Police Department "need remember that issues of policing disproportionately impact many members of this community." It went on to say that the poll results "should not be taken as a mandate for upholding the status quo or a signal that this issue has in any way been laid to rest."
According to Interim Vice President for Campus Life and Student Services Russell Carey '91 MA'06, the alleged incident of police brutality raised "serious issues of concern for the Brown community." Carey said the University is continuing to address these concerns through "a variety of mechanisms," including the PSOC.
"We are making progress on the initiatives we announced in one of our campus communications in September and continue to engage in conversations with students and faculty and staff about how we can improve what we are doing overall with respect to campus," Carey wrote in an e-mail to The Herald.
But Krishika Acharya '07, a member of the PSOC, said the poll results show that communication still needs improvement. The fact that almost 25 percent of students said they had no opinion or didn't know about the University's response to the incident "is a bad sign and shows that communication isn't happening," Acharya said.
Acharya said the PSOC is working on communicating more information to students and said she would like to see more regular updates. She said the PSOC has heard several complaints about lack of information and is taking steps to change the situation.
"People received the e-mails, but people need to know this is still being worked on," Acharya said. "It's a continuous process."
Acharya also said improved communication would inform those who are disappointed with the University's actions that the issue has not been laid to rest.
"There is definitely a large group of people who disapprove," Acharya said. "Whether or not they have a legitimate reason for it, something needs to be done to let these students know that there is something going on."
Acharya and Boas both said they would like to see increased communication between Co-PAIT, which is unaffiliated with the University, and the PSOC. Boas said he has introduced himself at meetings and attended Co-PAIT SpeakUp sessions but has not received any e-mails from Co-PAIT members.
"There needs to be a middle ground," Acharya said. "If the PSOC opens its hand, Co-PAIT needs to take steps to work with the administration."
Boas added that he has received e-mails from students with positive remarks about the PSOC's work, suggesting that feelings of disapproval are "reflective only of a vocal minority on campus."
Still, Boas said he wished Co-PAIT members would engage in open dialogue with members of the administration, "because we're really working toward a common goal."
