- UD Professor Maria Aristigueta - from a recent article in our student newspaper regarding the decision to allow Campus PD to carry firearms. Apparently those in academia just don't get it.
As far as safety is concerned, perception means nothing. Reality means everything.
EDIT -
Here were my comments I posted to the article.
I have to disagree with Professor Aristigueta's final comment, although I certainly agree that it is a huge step in the right direction to allow UDPD to carry firearms.
"The perception will be that it's safer," she said. "As far as safety is concerned, perception is everything."
When it comes to safety, perception means nothing whatsoever. Reality is what really matters. What good is a perception of safety if you aren't actually safe? For those who have been victims of crime in Newark such a perception of safety means nothing. It is an illusion. Those victims were, in reality, not safe.
It's actually dangerous for students to have a false sense of security now that campus police are armed. The police cannot be everywhere, and odds are that when you need them the most they won't be around to save you from harm. That is not a knock against UD or Newark Police, it's simply a statement of fact that police are reactionary. Other than by visual deterrence beforehand, they are almost never going to stop a violent crime in progress. Students, as potential victims, must keep up their guard, pay attention to their surroundings, and fight back against violent criminals when possible.
4 comments:
excuse the language, but that professor has her head firmly embedded in her ass.
I couldn't agree more, which is why I couldn't help myself and had to post a comment to the story.
I'd love to have that professor read it and respond, but I doubt that'll happen.
The smaller the department, I find, the smaller the bureaucracy... but the larger the politics. And university departments, are all politics. Hence the emphasis on... perception.
I agree Ghost, it's a tight knit bureacracy, and a liberal one at that. It's all about perception, including the perception that the Administration is actually doing things in the best interest of students.
Most of the "security measures" we have on campus are absolutely laughable and only exist so that the University will be perceived as doing something.
Actually, I'm reminded of SaysUncle's line "Gun Control - It's what you do instead of something." I always loved that one.
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