Pacific University is supposed to be a community of students, alumni, community members, faculty and staff working together. I feel that some of the university’s staff members are forgetting their priorities to create such a community that works with each other, not against.
Last month, my roommates and I were surprised to receive an email from a Resident Director that CPS had entered and searched our rooms. There was no prior notification of any kind of any possible visits from CPS or school personnel, so nobody was home at the time. These university personnel still felt it was necessary and appropriate to enter our rooms (on suspect of a pet violation). When I questioned the school representative about the invasion of privacy, part of the response was this:
Page 12, second column, fifth bullet point of the Residence Hall Handbook states:
“Designated university personnel may enter a resident’s space without consent or prior notice in response to a suspected policy violation when the occupants of the space are not present or fail to provide access to the space upon request of University personnel.”
I understand that officials may enter our space, but does that mean that they cannot give some type of notice of inspection before entering? I hope and believe that these school officials have students’ safety in mind—but, I mean, do you really feel comfortable with the fact that these school officials have the right, and obviously are not afraid to use those rights, to enter your room without notice? I feel, to some degree, we deserve at least some kind of heads-up if a stranger (school official or not) is about to go through our rooms—especially on something as minor as a pet violation.
Just be aware, fellow students, if you are at all suspected of any policy violation, university personnel may take advantage of this policy and they may show up unexpected and they may inspect your room without warning, notice or consent.
In a different case, my friend, an alumnus of Pacific, was given a trespass notification by CPS, to which he promptly wrote a letter explaining his case in the circumstances and pleading for the trespass order to be reviewed and possibly revoked.
After waiting for several weeks and after multiple emails from multiple students asking merely for confirmation of his letter being reviewed and even after personal visits to office the Vice President of Student Life, he received absolutely no answer nor confirmation of the letter even being reviewed or read. Would a simple, “yes, we have your letter” be so difficult?
As students, maybe it is time that we remind these school officials of who is paying for their next paychecks. Without its current students and alumni, Pacific is nothing—don’t bite the hands that feed you.
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