In an effort to boost communication between officials and students, Duke University Police Department is forming a committee of student representatives that will meet regularly to discuss minority and cultural issues pertaining to campus security.
Representatives will be selected by various student organizations and will meet monthly with DUPD officials.
"We want to have an open forum where people can come and voice their concerns," said Leanora Minai, DUPD public relations specialist. "This will be an excellent way to start up dialogue with Duke students and to foster change when necessary."
Minai said DUPD wanted the student committee to include a "broad cross-section of the student body."
The cultural and minority student groups invited to send a representative include AQUADuke, Asian Students Association, Black Student Alliance, Center for Race Relations, Diya, Mi Gente and Muslim Students Association.
Many student leaders said they believe involving student input in DUPD actions and policy is a step in the right direction.
Senior Liza McClellan, vice president of community relations for BSA, said the student committee is "a great idea and absolutely necessary."
McClellan added that the relationship between DUPD and students has been "fairly rocky" in the past.
"The Duke Police have been rude or ignorant towards the minority community and have ignored many of our requests for change and explanation of policy," she said.
McClellan said she welcomes the opportunity for collaboration.
"[The student committee] will allow everyone to work together as a community instead of in an 'us versus them' type of mentality," she said.
Junior Felix Li, co-president of the Center for Race Relations, said the creation of the student committee is long overdue.
He added that the committee will give interaction between students and the DUPD a higher level of transparency than it currently has.
"Sometimes minorities feel marginalized and feel that their reports of police violations enter a political vacuum," Li said. "[This committee] will make these issues blatant and in the open."
Li noted that the creation of the committee will "provide a great opportunity for students to understand the police perspective."
Both Li and McClellan pointed to past instances in which events sponsored by minority groups brought out high levels of security but similar non-minority events did not bring out the same number of officers or attract similar DUPD attention.
"When simple parties or step shows turn into high security events- we feel targeted," McClellan said.
Though the new student committee is meant to be a forum to discuss such security issues, some doubts are circulating as to how much change it will initiate.
"[The student committee] has potential to prevent future confrontations, but only time will tell if they are serious about student input," said senior Zubair Chao, president of MSA.
He added that preventing future tension will require consensus from both students and DUPD officers.
Although she remains hopeful, McClellan also had reservations about the effectiveness of the initiative.
"It will help, but only in a minor way because it is quite difficult to change the stereotypes and attitudes that the police have already formed," she said.
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