Enough is Enough!

A University of Iowa student left a lecture hall and called police Thursday after another student came into the auditorium wearing a hooded jacket and a ski mask and did not immediately remove them.

The student wearing the mask, Justin Walker, was detained for two hours by university police, who had also alerted Iowa City police and the Johnson County sheriff’s department, according to The Des Moines Register. “I did nothing,” Mr. Walker said later. “It was just my apparel.”

The university’s vice president for student services, Philip Jones, said in a university news release: “Given the circumstances of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech University, we simply cannot tolerate actions that even appear to be threatening.”

“The student who called the police immediately did the right thing, and police followed the appropriate procedure by responding immediately with sufficient numbers to conduct an investigation expeditiously.” The university is still considering whether to file charges against Mr.
Walker.

Alright, I've had enough of this. I'm as upset about the VA Tech tragedy as anyone. I continue to shed tears as I read accounts of the bloodstains, the chalk outlines, the police tape, and the students--dear god, the students.

Yes, we are all on orange alert these days and we will be for a very long time. I've suspended almost all sarcastic references to assassins, shootings, and other forms of violence. And I deplore those people who do not censor themselves likewise, or whose memories seem so short-term that their general references and cynicism ignore the tragedy.

But come on...

Contrary to the DM Register's assessment, it was pretty cold here last week. So yes, I can understand why a student would come to class in a hooded jacket. Was a ski mask reasonably necessary? Perhaps. Last Thursday (the date in question) was especially cold, although not windy, but were my scarf and gloves available, I probably would have worn them. So maybe a ski-mask was warranted.

But what is the possibility that the student was trying to push a boundary, in light of the VA Tech massacre? Trying to see just how far he could go, or maybe even trying to make a point? It's not too far-fetched to imagine a misguided and impulsive undergraduate student doing something like this without considering his action's poor taste or ramifications. And if that was the case, then the student deserves a reprimand, or at least a lesson on university civility behaviors.

But here is where I think the university may be going too far: They are considering filing charges against the student!!!??? For what???? Refusing to remove a ski-mask? Shouting "I'm cold" in a crowded lecture hall? Carrying a concealed hoodie?

Frankly, I am at a loss as to how far the pendulum must swing to protect ourselves, our students, and our society. But I certainly hope it doesn't go so far as to allow me to be fined should I feel the need to wear a few extra layers in April.