PSU administration has made public a draft revision to the campus Use of Buildings, Grounds and Services Policy that raises for us legitimate and serious concerns, because, among other things, it is a recipe for racial profiling.
The revision to this campus policy changes the status of the Smith Memorial Student Union (SMSU) from “public building” to "non-public building." Smith will not be locked, but the policy gives campus security the latitude to ask individuals — ostensibly individuals who don’t look like they belong — for their campus ID or other written authorization. (Below we have a link to the public comment portal).
The PSU-AAUP Executive Council has a very strong concern that this policy is setting the stage for racial profiling in the Smith Center. The policy is reminiscent of the deservedly maligned practice of “stop and frisk”. Students, staff, and faculty of color — and visiting family or guests — will now be faced with walking through a campus building (one that historically has been open) wondering, when am I going to be asked to prove I belong here? This alone is a significant threat to the climate for those who work and study at PSU. Add to this, that Smith is the most common location of events open to the community. So again, community guests who look a certain way face the real risk of being reminded, very uncomfortably, about who looks like they belong in our university community. Let the University Serve the City?
Surely, the intent of this policy is not racist, but the consequences will be. We know this quite well, from the research literature, and from the lived experience of millions — from the victims of “stop and frisk” in New York, to the experience of pedestrians of color in Portland, a study showing that motorists are half as likely to stop at crosswalks for them.
Please take a minute to express your concern as well, by going to this public comment portal.
Profiling is wrong. And it is also bad public safety policy. PSU-AAUP has already expressed our concern about this policy to the administration, on behalf of students, staff, and faculty, and we will continue to do so until there is a draft that guarantees equal peace of mind to all entering a building that has historically been part of our public square.