PSU-AAUP sent a letter this morning to the PSU Board of Trustees and to President Shoureshi calling for the disarmament of campus public safety officers.
"We, members of the PSU AAUP Executive Council, join the broad campus call to disarm PSU Campus Public Safety officers. Our call to disarm builds on our past engagement on this issue. In 2014, about 70% of respondents to a survey of AAUP members indicated their opposition to arming campus security.
The killing of Mr. Jason Washington in July 2018 by PSU officers is a tragedy for the Washington family, and has adversely impacted PSU students, faculty, and staff. We as a community need to see this tragedy in the larger context of the systemic problem of police brutality targeting of People of Color and other marginalized communities. The presence of armed security on PSU’s campus creates an ongoing traumatic environment for many of our colleagues and for the students we serve.
Our call to disarm is an act of solidarity with other members of the PSU community."