By Kristina Padlo
RVCC is an open campus, but Security is on the lookout for unwelcome guests and considers them trespassers.
There are several different ways someone can be considered persona non grata on campus: when a student is kicked off campus for fighting or harassing others, when a restraining order has been issued against the person, if they cannot show identification when asked for it and when the college is closed.
When it comes to security and trespassers according to Public Safety Director Reinhold Woykowski, there are many different situations and things can get very complicated. “Everything is not black and white,” Woykowski said.
But some situations are.
Recently, a former boyfriend threatened a female RVCC student and followed her onto campus. “I ran from the West Building parking lot to the security office so he would leave me alone,” she said. A security officer wrote up the incident report and escorted her to class.
According to RVCC Security Sgt.Thomas Mundy, she could have used one of the red phones placed in hallways throughout campus to contact security instead of running there. Mundy told the student to get a restraining order issued at the police station. She did that and now security officers escort her around campus. Since a warrant for the arrest of the former boyfriend has been issued, security will continue to walk her to and from classes until the man is caught.
Once the restraining order was issued, RVCC Security notified officers and guards around campus as well as the female student’s professors to look for the stalker and informed them of circumstances surrounding the situation should he show up.
In this case, the stalker directed threats against the student’s car. Security now has a camera pointed at the student’s vehicle while it is parked on campus.
Mundy said alleged offenders violate restraining orders on campus only about a couple times a year. If some one who has been issued a restraining order is seen here, security calls Branchburg Police and, if caught, the trespasser is arrested.
When one student harasses another, or two students fight, the offending individuals are removed from campus and a judge holds a hearing about the incident. They get a letter from the Dean stating they may not be on campus until after the hearing. If they are seen on campus before the hearing or after the judge has decided they may not return, the police are called to make an arrest.
There is no procedure in place at RVCC for random ID checks, however, a faculty member can ask to see one with just cause. For instance if a student is being disruptive in the library, the librarian may call security or ask to see a student’s ID. If they do not have a student ID or another form of identification, the individuals will be asked to leave campus.
No one is supposed to be on campus after 10 p.m. when classes end. If security officers see someone they will simply inform him or her that campus is closed and ask them to leave. If they spot a car still in the lot they will run the license plate to be able to contact the owner and investigate the situation.
Woykowski said he takes his job to protect students seriously. He is not just concerned with the physical safety of students but also with their emotional and mental well being, he said. Security does what it can to make sure students are safe and comfortable and that trespassers are kept at a distance.
“It is all part of the big picture,” he said. “It’s not just kicking someone off campus.”
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