The following reports were taken from campus police logs:
CALVIN COLLEGE
2:50 p.m., November 21
Campus Safety officers responded to a complaint of a terminated former college employee trying to pass themselves off as a current employee in order to get a discount at the spirit store in Van Noord Arena. The former employee had on a Calvin College building services uniform shirt at the time. The former employee was contacted and the uniform shirt was confiscated and turned over to building services. The former employee was given a t-shirt in replacement. Disposition: Closed.
HARVARD U.
11 a.m. December 16
Suspicious activity. Hauser Hall. The officer was informed an individual received several gifts from an unknown individual. When the individual returned the items to the individual they became upset. The individual informed the individual to leave the area and they did.
4:08 a.m. December 17
Suspicious activity. Pierce Hall. Officers dispatched to a report of an individual sleeping on a desk. Officers report the individual had authorization to be in the building and was napping.
6:26 a.m., December 18
Suspicious package, Adams House C. Officer dispatched to a report of a suspicious package beeping. Officer reports the package was an alarm clock and it was shut off.
11:17 p.m., December 19
Suspicious activity. John Harvard Statue. Officer dispatched to a report of five individuals acting suspiciously by the statue. When the individuals saw the security officer they left the area. Officer reports there was a dead cat left on the base of the statue. [Facilities Maintenance Operations] was notified to remove the cat.
8:40 p.m., January 4
Suspicious activity. Quincy House A. Officers dispatched to a report of an individual acting suspiciously inside of the building. Officers arrived and located the individual, who was lost. Officers directed the individual to their desired location.
12:23 a.m., January 10
Hazardous condition. Dunster House E. Officer dispatched to a report that an individual possibly left their hair straightener on. Officer arrived and reports the hair straightener was off.
STATE U. OF NEW YORK COLLEGE AT OSWEGO
5:49 p.m., September 20
Fire alarm. Onondaga Hall. Alarm possibly activated from heat from a hair straightener.
DICKINSON COLLEGE
6:05 p.m., December 4
Fire alarm: accidental. Morgan Hall. Alarm triggered by a straightening iron.
6:59 p.m., December 4
Fire alarm: accidental. Holland Union Building. Alarm triggered by a straightening iron.
10:11 p.m., December 5
Fire alarm: accidental. Adams Hall. Alarm triggered by a straightening iron.
MOUNT HOLYOKE COLLEGE
7 p.m., April 22
Officers responded to the Betty Shabazz Cultural Center for a fire alarm. The alarm was related to a straightening iron in the building.
9:49 a.m., December 8
A student reported having ongoing conflicts with her roommate in Buckland Hall. Case Open.
3:17 p.m., December 9
A student reported having ongoing conflicts with her neighbor in Buckland Hall. Case Open.
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19 Responses to True Crime
speterfreund - January 21, 2010 at 4:27 pm
This compilation is just about the most insidiously racist document that I have ever seen in the CHE. Did anyone pause to consider who uses electric hair straighteners and what the effect is of repeatedly citing the use of such devices as recorded in police logs?I for one would like to see an apology for the CHE’s insensitivity and perhaps see the article withdrawn as well.Stuart PeterfreundProfessor of EnglishNortheastern University
talula79 - January 21, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Stuart, It would be sexist actually. I think nowadays women from all enthnicities are using hair straighteners pretty regularly. Jessica McKeanAlliant International University
jackimurphy - January 21, 2010 at 4:38 pm
Well, while I read this column avidly, I never comment. However, I feel the need to set the record straight (no pun intended) As the mother of two college age daughters who happen to be white, I can tell you that neither one will leave thier rooms without straighting their hair with one of those culprit sraighteners-it is the “style” right now…for all kinds of people with hair!
javelina - January 21, 2010 at 5:06 pm
Yeah, Stuart, either your age or gender (or both) is showing. Hair straightening irons are all the rage right now with most women/girls under the age of 30. It was near the top of my 9-year-old granddaughter’s wish list for Santa this past Christmas. However, Santa feels (as does her mother & grandmother) that an electric hot appliance in the hands of a 9-year-old is not a good idea. Not to mention the fact that her hair is already board-straight!
willynilly - January 21, 2010 at 7:01 pm
Stuart, Straighten up and take a deep breath. You are near the edge. Step back and get a grip on yourself.
rbrunson - January 22, 2010 at 5:58 am
Racist??? Good grief. All sexes were using hair straighteners when I was in hi school and college, and that was at least 6 months before dirt.
annekaliellen - January 22, 2010 at 7:42 am
Dr. Peterfreund’s shrill posturing illustrates why so many of my students have disdain for “the liberal academy.” Dr. Peterfreund, please sit down. You’re blocking our view of the real issues.
speterfreund - January 22, 2010 at 9:03 am
Ouch! Despite the best efforts of some of those responding to my remarks to pillory me in accord with their own agendas, I must note that hair straightening is ineluctably associated with African American history. Garrett A. Morgan (1877-1963), the son of slaves and best known for the invention of the traffic light, developed the first chemical hair straightening process, and Madame C. J. Walker (1867-1919), the daughter of slaves, developed the hot-combing process that is the direct precursor of today’s electric hair straighteners.As much as I would like to claim to live in a post-sexist, post-racial society, I cannot as yet make that claim in good faith, and I continue to find the choice of police blotters for inclusion in this article at best questionable.SP
unclibrary - January 22, 2010 at 10:40 am
I’m a little sad to see this type of article in CHE. It looks too familiar. If I wanted to read an uninteresting police blotter, I would look to my school’s student newspaper. They include the blotter to fill in space when they run out of issues to discuss. Can’t CHE do better?
rachelgawn - January 22, 2010 at 10:53 am
Frankly, I find the mention of a dead cat more alarming. Animal abuse at Harvard? SP – please choose your battles more carefully. Your out-dated, irrelevant,knee-jerk response cheapens the very real issues of racism and sexism we face on this planet.
koufax33 - January 22, 2010 at 11:04 am
I would suggest Professor Freund spend some time in the residence halls on his campus, talk to the residence directors and, (gasp!) students about hair straighteners and fire alarms. While I appreciate the history, your pedantic argument does not establish any validity to your assertion that this is “This compilation is just about the most insidiously racist document that I have ever seen in the CHE” Clearly, you do not read CHE much…
speterfreund - January 22, 2010 at 12:16 pm
I can’t top the level of veniality and innuendo in some of the responses, especially the later ones, nor would I wish to do so. I would, however, call for some of my antagonists to review the tone of those responses and the stereotypes underwriting the responses, and consider the sources of their own anger, which I have not so much caused but evoked.Resistance may signify a principled response. Rage suggests the presence of issues best resolved in a more private forum than the CHE.SP
mwcramer - January 22, 2010 at 12:44 pm
speterfreund – Speaking of stereotypes, your infantile tirade does an excellent job of propagating those associated with academics. Nice job.
dean5665 - January 22, 2010 at 12:51 pm
First, I would like to add that we may be assuming that females are the only ones using flat-iron straighteners. My 15 year-old nephew wants one because he likes the look it gives him.Second, the report just says that DICKINSON COLLEGE has had an unusual spurt of straighteners setting off alarms.How else could that be reported? In other words, how could it be re-worded to keep it from sounding so racist (or sexist). (“not reporting it” is not an option since it obviously already has.)Maybe the fire alarms are too close to the electrical outlets where students straighten their hair?I can not beleive I have spent a portion of my lunch hour on this! I challenge all of you to answer, first, how the blotter could have been repoted differently and then try and give other (hopefully funny) explanations of why the straigtheners set the alarms off or “what REALLY happened?” Let’s diffuse the anger and use our wit to come together and have a good laugh!Professor Peterfreund, I hope you will join us! (As a former History major, thanks for reminding me about this interesting fact!)Dean BlackwelderAdmission Advisor – Applied TechnologiesWake Technical Communnity CollegeRaleigh, NC
johntoradze - January 22, 2010 at 2:17 pm
Aliens have bodysnatched our dear Professor Peterfreund! Racism, sexism and evil – hoo-hah! Seriously, I snorted coffee through my nose reading these comments and gave myself a burn. Have you thought of doing deadpan standup Professor Peterfreund?
bondage2 - January 22, 2010 at 2:52 pm
Jees, guys, lighten up. And no, that’s not intentionally racist.
pwherry - January 22, 2010 at 3:08 pm
Meanwhile, I must express my disappointment that an item from my own campus police blotter did not make this extremely list–something that is right up there with the dead cat at John Harvard’s statue and the kind of thing that keeps me reading the police blotter. It was the weekend of THE Big Game. The police report stated–in almost exactly these words–”Intoxicated female found defecating in the snow next to the sidewalk. As police approached subject tried to run away but had not pulled up her pants. Fell into the snow with buttocks exposed.” No word as to straightness of hair.
pwherry - January 22, 2010 at 3:09 pm
Oops! Make that “extremely SELECTIVE” list.
11161452 - January 22, 2010 at 9:59 pm
Why would one use on one’s hair an appliance that has the potential to set off a fire alarm?