February 28, 1995
Students and faculty expressed differing opinions on whether the police should go into a classroom to conduct an arrest -- as happened to Jason "Quddus" Archie a week ago.
"I think it was highly inappropriate," speech and communications Professor Larry Medcalf said.
Medcalf said he understood that a teacher had a complaint against Archie, so she called the University Police Department. Later, three UPD officers and a probation officer arrested Archie for violating his parole.
"I'm more dismayed than anything. Anytime a teacher files a complaint against a student, there's a procedure where the teacher and student can get together and discuss it," Medcalf said. "At the very least the police could have waited until the end of class, when the student can come out."
"I think the administration and (UPD) owe an explanation to the university; some investigation needs to be made," Medcalf said.
Medcalf said Archie took his Speech 150 class last spring. Medcalf remembers Archie as intelligent and well respected by his peers.
"It's one of those gray areas," classics Professor Pamela Vaughn said. "If it's a dire emergency, where the police have to come into my class, I hope at least they notify me first," Vaughn said.
One student felt the teacher who filed the complaint against Archie should not have called the UPD.
"She screwed up. She sent someone who was obviously trying to improve himself back to jail," said Diana Rosales, a graduate student in education.
"That is not appropriate. He paid for his education; the police should have waited for him after class," said Limus Curry, a physical therapy freshman.
Some people saw nothing wrong with the police action.
"You don't know why the police are arresting a student. The student could have a handgun. I would prefer the police interrupt the class," said Henry McCoy, an administrative assistant.
"The police can go anywhere, they can go to work, they can arrest you in a public place -- so why can't they go into your class?" said Sandra Mora, a business and accounting senior.
"I think if the police felt justified in interrupting a class then that's OK. But as students, we need to know that this can possibly happen to us," said Cliff Davis, an international relations senior.
To Davis, the arrest raises another issue.
"How did they (police) get the guy's schedule? Administration must have released his class schedule to them," Davis said.
Fabienne McPhail, a lecturer in women studies, said she did not approve of what the police did, but there are no rules protecting students in a classroom.
"There is no safe space. In order to maintain our sanity we create them in our minds as a false sense of security -- we really live in a military state," McPhail said.