Des Moines Register
08-28-07
Speakers at UNI discuss arming police
Campus presidents will make recommendations to the state Board of Regents in
September.
By ERIN JORDAN
REGISTER IOWA CITY BUREAU
Cedar Falls, Ia. - Steve Carignan's father, James, was dean at a small liberal arts
college in Maine. When the elder Carignan was shot in 1985, no one wanted to
believe the assailant was a student.
But the gunman did turn out to be a student - one the dean had expelled for
abusing his power as a residence hall assistant, said Steve Carignan, assistant
vice president for education and event venues management at the University of
Northern Iowa. Carignan's father survived the gunshot wound that went near his
heart.
"One of the greatest challenges was that everyone who came to visit (my father)
wanted him to say it wasn't this kid," said Carignan, adding that crime can
happen even on the quietest college campus.
Carignan was among about 80 people gathered Monday at UNI's Commons
Ballroom to discuss whether police officers at Iowa's public universities should
carry guns.
Public safety directors at UNI, Iowa State University and the University of Iowa
favor such a move. It's now up to the university presidents to make
recommendations to members of the Iowa Board of Regents, who will discuss
the issue at their meeting Sept. 18-19 in Council Bluffs.
A panel of six speakers spoke Monday at UNI in support of, and opposition to,
arming campus police.
About 25 students, faculty and staff then offered their views on the controversial
issue that looks at how to best protect a campus that has - so far - been blessed
with no tragedies like the April 16 incident in which a disgruntled Virginia Tech
student shot 32 people on campus or the 1991 shooting spree in Iowa City by
Gang Lu, a graduate student at the U of I who killed three professors, a research
assistant and an administrator. Lu took his own life as police closed in.
"Even if we arm our security guards, we can't prevent a Virginia Tech," said Jerry
Sonenson, associate professor of philosophy and religion. "You can't protect
yourself from a crazy guy."
Opponents of arming campus police said it would make UNI more dangerous by
opening up the possibility of accidental shootings by police and encouraging
criminals to bring guns to campus.
Michael Blackwell, director of the Center for Multicultural Education, said he fears
racial profiling.
"Students of color will disproportionately be affected if the campus police are
armed," he said.
Amanda Mesirow, residence life coordinator, said she wants campus police to
carry firearms in case someone brings a gun into the residence halls. One of the
first victims at Virginia Tech was a resident advisor, she said.
"If anyone is going to be armed on our campus, I would prefer it be police
officers," she said.
Andrew Morse, president of the UNI student government, said a survey of 1,000
UNI students showed that 57 percent favor arming campus police.
Ranga Ahmed, at UNI junior from Bahrain, said she is not among that majority.
She remembers the fear she felt when her high school security guards were
armed following the attacks of Sept. 11.
"About 20 people left my school and went to a new school because they were
scared," she said.
Iowa's public universities are among only a handful in the country whose officers
do not carry guns.
University presidents can authorize campus police to carry guns on some
occasions, but public safety officials argue the lag time to retrieve the weapons
could delay response to a serious crime. The Taser stun guns regents approved
in 2002 don't help if an assailant has a knife or gun, officials have said.
U of I President Sally Mason recently made comments indicating she may be
leaning toward recommending that campus police be armed. Mason said she
thinks unarmed police are at a disadvantage when there are people with guns on
campus.
Staff Writer Erin Jordan can be reached at (319) 351-6727 or
ejordan@dmreg.com