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Letters to the Editor
Ridiculous conduct by SCPD and SCSU
Can I just say THIS IS RIDICULOUS!!! Recently on move-in day, I was cited for minor consumption and then handcuffed by two bike cops and hauled off to jail for blowing a 0.07 (yeah watch out I was a little tipsy). One may think I was a out of control, but mind you I was walking BY MYSELF with NOTHING in my hands and stopped without any probable cause!
Now let me make some things clear, not only did I get handcuffed, thrown in jail, booked and finger printed like a criminal for a little underage drinking, I am now facing punishment by St. Cloud State University for violating the codes of conduct...in which I DID NOT violate; I did my homework! Another thing, do you plan on taking all underage drinkers to jail? From the facts I have, you are not. This is practicing unfair law.
What happen to a just system? To the school, do you plan on charging all students who were sent to jail for minors on move-in day, because I know plenty of people who just received tickets...I don't think this system of yours is very fair.
There are so many more horrible things taking place on our campus and in surrounding neighbors, i.e. people getting beat up with bats, then a little underage drinking. Granted it is the law, but if you start looking around you will see that this is a complete waste of time because people are not going to stop. How about the drug problems, have you been to a party where you have not smelled the scent of weed? Or how about girls being inappropriately fondled and caressed? Or what about guys beating each other up? I think these all have greater detrimental outcomes then blowing a 0.07 on move-in day! By taking away drinking you realize that college-age students are going to find other means of weekend recreation that are not going to be as harmless. Break out gas masks St. Cloud State faculty and police force - let there be riots. Out do Mankato!
Hey police, get a life...stop trying to dress like us and pretending you are a student. We do not wear flannels, backwards visors and tapers! Yeah let's get all dressed up to bust minors, get off our streets and go to where the crime is. You are spending way too much time and energy busting people for a $170 ticket when hard-core criminals are actually roaming the streets freely because you are too busy dressing up and busting underage drinkers.
Furthermore, do not even tell me that you did not drink before you 21 too...ya hypocrites! AND do not even start to complain about all the paperwork and how hectic move-in day is and how you do not want to work it next year...because you are doing it to yourself! Pretty sure you are the one in control in this situation. As for St. Cloud State University, move-in day is a tradition and we are OFF campus, it is not an organized school function!
Therefore you have nothing to do with this, so stop wasting trees by printing stupid letters worrying about punishments.
Anyone who was in jail with me...FIGHT IT...because I am!!! Hey ladies-yeah yeah JAILBAIT. Oh, you do not think I made friends there? Yeah I learned some tricks in jail! On a good note, I got to wear sweet slip-on Keds so I would not get diseases as they put it! And lucky for me I look really good in black and white strip outfits. Plus I had a super cute mug shot - seriously! Bonus!
Well, time to call my lawyer...think twice before you drink and blow!
Lindsay Harper
Sophomore
Elementary Education
Thanks for 'Detention' SCPD, now I have to go 'home (SCSU)' and be punished as well
Getting sent to my room or being grounded was my punishment if I received a detention in ELEMENTARY school. The fact is, this is how I am starting to feel with the city, SCSU and the community of St. Cloud. I am not a little kid, even though I feel like I am being treated like one, especially, this homecoming, I am a mature adult.
I think what SCSU is doing (or did, whenever this is printed) will help in cutting down problems for homecoming. Great! But wait, can SCSU make us bagged lunches too, before we go to class this week? The point is, is that I feel more like a kid when I am threatened or treated like I am going to rampage and puke all over the city.
Furthermore, watch out Bed and Breakfast on Sixth, there might be some students walking around past midnight by your B&B. WOW, big deal. Maybe noticing that your property was by campus, you should have sold if it was going to be too much of a problem for you to have students walking around your house at night on the sidewalk maybe a little under the influence.
I say grow up and open your eyes to the college campus world.
I agree with Cory Lawrence that it is not right how we can be punished off-campus by (SCSU) and I agree with how Mr. Lawrence said they are raising tension levels between the students and the city, school and community.
I am a student that studies hard and am doing well at SCSU, graduating in the spring - but my frustrations with the school rules have made me come out and say what I have to say.
I thank the SCPD for doing an excellent job - it is not easy, but Chief Ballantine, PLEASE don't pump fallacies into our minds like we were born yesterday. In Thursday's Chronicle you said, "Anything we do is based on a complaint." Yeah right - I suppose that is why Jason Morgan and Brelyn Kritz noticed people getting open bottle citations for ACCIDENTALLY stepping on the sidewalk. So you are saying that some citizen called you and said, "I want to complain that a student stepped on a sidewalk with an open alcoholic beverage."
Or I know, I guess there must be complaint fairies flying around with cell phones calling you, Chief Ballantine. Sounds right then, I just have never seen the fairies.
Moreover, maybe next time, St. Cloud can have a student-to-school, city, community discussion forum for Homecoming or whatever for example in Ritche Auditorium. That would be more professional and respectable towards all equally.
Overall, the main point is let's do this professionally with no more fallacies from the police: tell us straight up - there is more respect then. The community should understand that they are in a college area and it is not going to be like before. Also, please, SCSU, you are a great place of "a tradition of excellence and opportunity," but understand that we are also adults and outside of school we can be responsible and deal with our punishment. Don't make us also come home (SCSU) and get slapped on the hand or expelled for when we already made a mistake. We don't need to be punished twice as if you are our parents when we were back in elementary school.
Malcom King Z Jr.
Senior
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