Rider University - Shadow Yearbook (Lawrenceville, NJ)

Page 116 text:

A Look At Those R O T C Myths fi 'i 'i dig? ra I ij, -- I by William Mecum, Fl.O.T.C. Cadet When I was asked to write this article I felt unequal to the task. I had only been involved with the Reserve Offi- cers Training Program for the last year, and I felt that any impression I might have had would be narrow. Nevertheless, after some thought I concluded that there was some insight I could offer the Rider community and clear up some myths concerning the R.O.T.C. program. The reader might well ask the question, Why did you join R.O.T.C.? I can only answer by saying that I feel that in this way I can both serve my country and at the same time fulfill my military obligation. I subscribe to the fundamental truth offered by the Romans who said that he who desires peace should prepare for war, for no one dare offend or insult a power of recognized superi- ority in action. I can reject as both ludicrous and foolish the idea held by man that peace is natural and the only way to achieve it is by dismembering a country's ability to protect its sovereignty, namely its armed forces. Mod- ern history has proven to me that pacifism has killed just as many people as any militarism has. With this philosophy in mind, I voluntarily joined Ri- 104 A f tk

Page 115 text:

Which brings up the damned if you do and damned if you don't idea. Security was damned three years ago for being too curious into the students' affairs and too authoritative and protective. And this year, Security took the rap for not doing its job when the wave of thefts occurred early in the year. But, according to Mullen, Security can't be in every place at every moment. And besides that, it's not Secu- rity's policy to police the dormitories and patrol the hall- ways. We can't enter a student's room without a search warrant from the Student Court. The students wouldn't want us in the dormitories anyway, he added. ln many colleges, security isn't even wanted on the campus, but l don't see that as a solution. There has to be some type of security setup. Security doesn't only have the job of protecting the lives and property of the students. Security must also regulate traffic on campus and enforce the parking and vehicular rules of the College. And Mullen's men are busy at that. With the new lots that went into use this year, their work has almost doubled. The lots meant new rules and there were over 4,000 cars to check on. lf people parked where they were supposed to, we wouldn't have any problems and we wouldn't have to give out tickets, he said. But since people don't, Mul- len's men gave out over 500 tickets from the beginning of the fall semester to the beginning of October. The men of Security have over 250 acres to patrol with a minimum of 2,500 people on the campus at any one time. Mullen has 19 men in his department, 10 full- timers and nine part-timers. Most of my older men have some type of police ex- perience but it's hard getting men with any experience to come into campus security because the pay isn't that great. Mullen stated. The younger men that l've been hiring need training, he continued. But all of them do a good job. Mullen said that if he thought he needed more men, he would go to the administration and try and get the needed men, even though he is locked into a budget. And if the students continue to complain, I may have to do just that, he said. Also, if things keep up, we CSecurityJ could go back into the dormitories if the stu- dents really wanted us back in. We'll go through the Student Court and the administration and try to have the rule rescinded. But the students will have to be aware of the fact that if we come back in, we may dis- cover things that maybe we shouldn't. There could be trouble in that area. Mullen sees the job of policing the dormitories as basically a responsibility of the resident assistants and the resident supervisors. They're the ones in the dor- mitories at all times. lt should be up to them to work with the residents and come up with ways to insure the security of their living quarters. Of course, if something big happened such as breaking and entry into a room or the person's life is in danger, it should be reported directly to Security, Mul- len said. However, for most small thefts, the usual channels of reporting to the resident assistant or super- visor who then turns a report over to the respective dean should be followed. Security has no disciplining power on this campus. We can only investigate the infractions of the rules and gather the facts and interview the individuals involved. We then turn the reports over to the deans who do the disciplining. However, if it's anything major, we may want or have to call in the Lawrence Township Police to assist in the investigation or we can recommend prose- cution in the report to the deans, he said. Rider College Security men are not allowed to make arrests and do not carry guns or clubs. This is not in keeping with the image we wish to project, Mullen commented. And I fully realize that my men are unpro- tected if anything should ever happen. The only thing they can do is to observe the situ- ation and try to keep it in hand and if it gets out of hand, they can try to stop it. But in an emergency, out- side help such as the Lawrence Township Police could become necessary. In that case, after consultation be- tween myself, the men and the administration, a deci- sion would be made and outside help called in, Mullen said. To my knowledge, that has never been needed to quell a disturbance. So, protecting student lives and property, in- vestigating violations ofthe rules and taking care of the traffic on the campus are Security's biggest jobs. They also conduct clock punch rounds of all campus build- ings three times a night, transport students to and from area doctors and hospitals, keep records and register vehicles, operate the switchboard during off-hours and weekends and holidays, act as guides and aides, and even provide first aid in emergency situations. Yes, security on a campus is a far cry from a police department although both have some similarities. Both have images to maintain, although defined differently and with different equipment. Both are having trouble. Police have to regain the re- spect they seem to have lost. Security must continually strive to reach a happy medium with the students, yet maintaining their goodwill on one hand and servicing them Cfrom a safeguarding standpointj on the other. Neither job is easy. They're damned if they do and damned if they don't. W 103

Page 117 text:

der's R.O.T.C. program. My first impression came with my meeting with the officers and non-commissioned of- ficers involved with the program. I found them to be frank, open-minded and truthful. No excessive demands have been made upon me as far as conduct or put-out- of-class activities are concerned. I have also found the R.O.T.C. personnel willing to take time out from their schedule to answer any questions or help solve any problems that I might encounter. At no time have I been subject to any military in- doctrination except that which is necessary to perform my duties as a future officer. Nor have I been forced to compromise any beliefs that I might have held before entering the program. I have also found myself more willing to take on more responsibility, both in and out of uniform. The Reserve Officers Training Program does more than just supply the army with most of its officers. It offers to the interested student a chance to gain in- sight about how the army works. It also offers to the student a chance to see if the military would suit him. But, most importantly, it affords the individual the chance to serve and in this age of social con- sciousness, who could ask for more? 'QQ