Concerns About Oberlin's 'No Trespass' List

Colleges and Universities A-Z Oberlin College
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<p>Students at Oberlin College and residents of Oberlin, Ohio gathered Wednesday to discuss a "no trespass" list maintained by the college, The Plain Dealer reported. Those on the list are effectively banned from campus. Critics focused on problems created because people are not informed that they are on the list, or given a chance to demonstrate that they shouldn't be on the list.</p>

<p>Read more: Concerns</a> About Oberlin's 'No Trespass' List | Inside Higher Ed </p>

<p>I was just wondering if anyone at Oberlin could add some insight into the situation there? The larger issue of town/gown relations is something I'd like to consider as we look at various LACs for our son. Many thanks!</p>

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<p>Overall, Oberlin College and the town of Oberlin enjoy a good relationship. The College provides educational and recreational outlets for people who live in the area. College students volunteer in the community. Every once in a while there’s an incident on campus usually involving a young person from the town. But troubles are rare. The biggest security issue on campus is bike theft. Often the bikes are stolen by other students - some are returned (the concept of ownership of bikes seems to be underdeveloped). Free and low-cost bikes are available at the beginning of every school year. </p>

<p>Oberlin’s graduation celebration features a wonderful evening in Tappan Square at which hundreds of Chinese lanterns lit with candles are strung seemingly everywhere and students, their families, and townspeople mingle to eat pie and listen to extraordinary music. Apparently, it is The Event in the town.</p>

<p>I’m not familiar with the no trespass list. But it isn’t too much of a surprise. Oberlin is an extremely tolerant place. It attracts talented students, many of whom are passionate young people who feel the world’s injustices keenly. Although not terribly common, protesting for the rights of a perceived injustice sounds like an Oberlin thing to do. There are also a few free thinkers that are attracted to the town because of the college - some may have graduated years ago, others just came for the liberal environment and stayed. Most of course, are harmless, but some flout social conventions, so they may create some problems for the college. Oberlin is about as far from a police state as it’s possible to be.</p>

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<p>thatsall, have you seen the videos posted by the [One</a> Town Campaign](<a href=“http://onetowncampaign.com/]One”>http://onetowncampaign.com/)? The issue is more complex than “a few free thinkers that are attracted to the town because of the college” and “flout social conventions.” The campaign describes youth who have lived in Oberlin for their entire lives and, because of what they describe as minor offenses (like attending a loud party in a campus house, or skateboarding on college property) were banned indefinitely from all college property. That includes public areas like sidewalks, parks, and parts of downtown.</p>

<p>Is this an accurate representation of the no-trespass list? I don’t know, and neither do any other students or community members – because no one receives a formal charge or hearing before being added to the no-trespass list, and there is no transparency about who is on the list and why.</p>

<p>I do think that the no-trespass list is a real injustice, not just a perceived one. It’s the kind of injustice that arises in a small college town, where a substantial amount of property and resources are controlled by the college, and where there are profound socioeconomic differences between most college students and faculty and other community members. Those issues aren’t unique to Oberlin – they’re present to one degree or another at all of the small-town LACs that I prospied at and that my high school friends went to. What is unusual to Oberlin is the growing extent to which students take interest in confronting those issues.</p>

<p>Oberlin is a school with a history of radical tolerance, and acknowledging the injustices that are still present doesn’t weaken that commitment to tolerance – it makes it more meaningful.</p>

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<p>As an alum, I’ve been mailed links about the campaign to stop the no-trespass list which basically is the campus security policy to not allow certain identified townies on campus property (which occupies a good portion of town - e.g. there’s nowhere to go once you are “on” the list). [url=&lt;a href=“http://onetowncampaign.com/]Home[/url”&gt;http://onetowncampaign.com/]Home[/url</a>] There is also an informative you tube video you can search that interviews locals and kids from the college on this campaign. I am not in the town so I can’t say I know what is going on but I can assume campus security is trying to protect student safety. Most campuses do not have an open door policy in their “student” buildings like inside the student union or gyms - but would require an student ID to enter. What makes this different is there are townies that are allowed and then certain identified townies who are not. It wouldn’t be the Oberlin I remember if knowing there is such a list didn’t ignite a protest.</p>

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<p>This problem is not unique to Oberlin. Most private colleges maintain a no trespass list. When non-students enter college property and engage in activities like assault, theft, vandalism, drug dealing, disruptive behavior, intimidating behavior, etc., Campus Security can ban them from campus. Campus Security is just doing its job protecting students, staff, and college property. It happens all the time at campuses all over the country.</p>

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<p>Fifty, what’s confusing to me (and thanks, all, for providing some background) is the aspect of those who’ve been banned not being informed of their inclusion on the list, and that there appears to be no appeals process. That’s the part I found disturbing, not that colleges, via their security departments, feel they have no choice at times but to ban certain individuals from campus. There has to be some type of due process, though, doesn’t there?</p>

<p>Also, how exactly is the banned list enforced? Are we talking about such a “short list” that all campus security personnel just recognize all the offenders? Can’t image they’re using facial recognition software on campus!</p>

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<p>Fifty, I haven’t heard anyone argue that the no-trespass list should not exist at all. There are legitimate security reasons why it may be necessary to restrict someone’s access to campus. But the current implementation of the list at Oberlin goes beyond what’s needed to protect student safety:</p>

<p>a) Some people say that they have been placed on the list for things much more minor than “assault, theft, vandalism,” etc., or have not been told why they’re on the list at all.</p>

<p>b) The no-trespass zone covers all College property, which is a large portion of the town of Oberlin. This is not just areas where you would expect access to be restricted, like the gym; it also includes spaces that most people in Oberlin think of as public, like Tappan Square.</p>

<p>c) There’s no transparency or due process when people are added to the list. There is an appeals process, but there is no formalized procedure for how to do an appeal and most people don’t know that it exists.</p>

<p>“It happens all the time at campuses all over the country” has never been taken as a compelling reason to do things the same way at Oberlin – it’s one of the things that I like about this school :)</p>

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<p>There seems to be a fair bit of buzz about the “no trespass list” at the moment, and it is unclear as to exactly what has brought it to the forefront. My best guess (based on things that the One Town Campaign has linked to) is that some high school students did something to get themselves into trouble with campus security 4 years ago and were “added to the list”. When they recently had another run in with campus security at a party on College property, they “discovered” that they were still “on the list” and had trespassing charges pressed. (Note: this is pure speculation on my part)</p>

<p><a href=“http://onetowncampaign.com/uploads/spring_2012_Human_Relations_Commission_Meeting_on_Oberlin_College_s_No_Trespass_List.pdf[/url]”>http://onetowncampaign.com/uploads/spring_2012_Human_Relations_Commission_Meeting_on_Oberlin_College_s_No_Trespass_List.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>I strongly recommend you read through that document. There are many myths that folks are spreading which are getting other students and town citizens riled up, some of which other commenters have raised above. Here are some clarifications:</p>

<p>a) People are notified in writing when they have been banned from campus. “the College’s Office of Safety and Security sends a written notice to the offender informing him or her of the fact they have been banned from College Property, along with a copy of Ohio’s Trespass Law, and his or her responsibilities re: the ‘No Trespass’ Policy”</p>

<p>b) There is no “list” per se, but Safety and Security does keep a database of incidents and when someone’s name is looked up, they can see if a “no trespassing” warning was issued to that person.</p>

<p>c) There are claims of the list being racist but “The majority of notice recipients are white males (more than all minorities combined).”</p>

<p>d) “Those placed on the list have usually had multiple contacts with Safety and Security” – it isn’t something that just randomly happens to folks. In order to be banned from campus, safety and security would have to get your name. In order to get charged with trespassing, you would have to get in trouble again and have them get your name.</p>

<p>e) Tappan Square is jointly owned by the city and the college and as such is considered a public park. The streets are owned by the city, and the immediately adjacent sidewalks are considered public as well. So excluding the sidewalks between residence halls and academic buildings, there aren’t any issues with traveling the town that wouldn’t occur if the college was just a collection of private houses (i.e., you can’t just cut diagonally through everybody’s yard).</p>

<p>I personally don’t understand why the clamor to have the “list” made public. I’m not sure if the One Town Campaign wants to publicly shame folks that are on the list or what. And in this age of an Internet that seldom forgets things, I would rather kids doing stupid things (like the folks in the video that kept sneaking into Conservatory’s recording studios as teenagers) just have the “no trespass” request be handled privately instead of a non-criminal public record that will follow them around just a Google search away.</p>

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<p>Many school campuses and/or buildings are closed to anyone except those with express permission, ID or keycard. ANYONE else has to be accompanied by someone with such privileges and may even have to have some pass even as an accompanied guest. Some of the most open campuses such as NYU or BU that have no real walls or gates, are very closed when it comes to their actual faciiities and buildings. </p>

<p>But I don’t understand a special “no trespass” list? Are there actual names on there or just categories or what? I certainly do believe that if I were banned from a place personally and specifically by name, I would want to know about it and why. Particularly if I might have reason to visit the place. Wouldn’t want to find myself kicked out simply because I was personal non grata from the get go due to some list. I don’t think a public airing of the list is appropriate, but anyone specially on it should be told. </p>

<p>But most colleges operate on exclusion rather than inclusion from the get go, so such lists are not necessary except in the cases of some specific trouble makers and they certainly should be told that they are not permitted on campus or in college facilities.</p>

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<p>ParanoidGeek, thanks for doing all that work to provide some more detailed background. Too bad the Plain Dealer didn’t have the time or inclination to provide as much reporting as you did.</p>

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<p>But actual research and reporting might not make for a scandalous sounding headline. If you were repeatedly caught going into employee areas of a Walmart, you’d make it onto their “secret no trespass list” too, but that doesn’t sound as ominous.</p>

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<p>CptoftheHouse, as I stated above, this “list” is composed of the names of individuals who have had run-ins with Oberlin College’s Safety and Security (often numerous) and are specifically told in writing to stop trespassing. At their next run-in, the fact that they were told to stay away comes up and trespassing charges might be pressed. It is targeting “specific trouble makers” and they are told in writing that they are not permitted.</p>

<p>Part of the problem comes from the fact that these databases don’t forget, but the people sometimes do. For example, if someone was told to not trespass at age 11-13 for repeatedly sneaking into the College’s gym and then at age 20 is drunk at a party which Safety and Security breaks up. They might have forgotten the notice (or maybe not really understood) because at the time, because they stopped sneaking into the gym and stopped thinking about it. I don’t know if the S&S officer gets any of that context or just is told over the radio that this person has already been told to stay off of campus property and then calls Oberlin Police Department. So there is some talk of having the warning “expire” after a set time.</p>

<p>But if this person had gotten in trouble at age 13 with their friends for assaulting a student and stealing their backpack (rare, but has happened) should that be handled the same? What if instead, they were caught rifling through student dorm rooms? So instead we’ve got the current system where S&S periodically might review the list and individuals can request to be taken off of the list.</p>

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<p>ParanoidGeek, thank you for taking the time to address my original question. Not sure if you’re an Oberlin student or alum, but you’ve addressed my concerns about the college, which I’ve always held in the highest regard. </p>

<p>Many thanks to everyone who provided feedback!</p>

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<p>Thanks, Paranoidgeek. My.dd goes to oberlin and I think you did a good job of clarifying the issues.</p>

<p>Sent from my DROIDX using CC</p>

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<p>Nice Droid, HuntMom. Like you, I refuse to join the Apple cult.</p>

<p>LucieTheLakie, we are also eastern Pennsylvanians. My D is a senior at Oberlin. She has loved her four years at Oberlin, and has never questioned turning down an Ivy to go Obie. The best part for me as a parent was writing her final humongous tuition check in January. I’m free at last!</p>

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<p>sounds too much like the No Fly List. </p>

<p>Scary</p>

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<p>Very strained relationship between the College and the town, more strained than is publicized. Last week there was an armed robbery in the village apartments.</p>

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<p>Am I late to the party? Yes. However, I’ll still throw in my two cents (as a HS student in Oberlin):
ParanoidGeek got it spot on. People complaining about the trespass list are, for the most part, completely off base in their accusations. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t racial profiling. As in many places, young black males are more likely to be stop by campus safety. So while there are SOME racial profiling issues at Oberlin, they’re the sort of ones that are likely to be found anywhere you go, and a lot of people are over exaggerating their claims.</p>