At the very first University Senate meeting of the school year, newly hired Department of Public Safety Director Kevin Williams was introduced by University President Dave Frohnmayer. Immediately, I addressed the body and raised concern regarding Director Williams’ public statements in support of DPS officers being armed with Tasers. His response was typically vague. Then on Thursday, not more than a few hours after the tragic news from Northern Illinois University reached our campus, Williams confronted a group of students and asked one in particular what she thought of increased DPS and Eugene Police Department presence on campus. Unfortunately for Williams, he picked the wrong student to single out: Survival Center Co-Director Tara Burke. Burke explained the drawbacks to over-policing the University campus, noting especially that students of color are disproportionately targeted by both DPS and EPD. Williams’ reaction: To ask the students if they wanted what happened at NIU to happen at UO. This blatant politicizing of the deaths of my academic peers is not only disrespectful to a grieving community, it is unacceptable behavior for a public official. If Williams thinks he can use the deaths of our University sisters and brothers to push his agenda, he should think twice. If he thinks students are going to stand idly by while the Department of Public Safety takes advantage of our loss, he has another thing coming altogether.
Nate Gulley
Ethnic Studies Major, University Senator