The Bowdoin Department of Safety and Security confiscated a pellet gun and a stolen construction sign from the room of a Coles Tower resident over Winter Break. They discovered the pellet gun, which is banned under the College's firearms policy, and the sign, which was stolen from a construction site on campus, during a sweep of all dorm rooms that were supposed to be vacant during the break.
Security reported the policy breach to the Office of the Dean of Student Affairs. Dean Craig Bradley would not comment on the name of the student who was implicated in the violation.
Security conducts these sweeps in conjunction with the Office of Residential Life at the beginning of each break to make sure that all doors and windows are secure, candles are extinguished, and safety hazards are neutralized.
Director of Bowdoin Safety and Security Randy Nichols estimated that officers spent between 30 and 40 seconds in each room.
Nichols stressed that security officers are explicitly instructed not to search dorm rooms for contraband items. There is specific protocol in place for searches that requires that security officers acquire special, documented permission from the Office of Residential Life before searching a student residence.
"I authorize very few searches per year and am very careful with how my colleagues and I use the authority," Director of Residential Life Kim Pacelli said.
"The only time something would be seized would be if it were in plain view and is a clear violation of College policy," Nichols said.
According to Nichols, the pellet gun and construction signs fell into that category.
Appendix A.11 in the student handbook stipulates that "a resident's room, suite, or apartment or possessions on campus will not be searched by college authorities unless there is sufficient reason to believe that a resident is using his/her assigned space for purposes which may be in violation of Federal, State or local law, or of College regulations."
Without a signed document from the Office of Residential Life, security needs verbal permission from the student in order to search a residence.
Such was the case this year when security requested to search a student's room based on suspicion that the student might be keeping stolen items there. The student consented, and officers found a stolen laptop computer.
Residential Life Operations Manager Lisa Rendall attached a housing information notice to an email addressed to all Bowdoin students just before the end of classes, informing students of Residential Life's operations schedule and procedures for the vacation period. The notice mentions that "Facilities Management and Security Staff may enter student rooms over break to secure buildings."
Despite this notification, a number of students were unaware that security personnel would be entering their rooms over the break.
Tommy Lakin '07 did not recall that a notice had been issued.
"I actually didn't know that they [entered my room], so that bothers me," he said.
Junior Mike Terry said he knew about the security sweeps, but only by word of mouth.
"I remember hiding [liquor] handles under someone's bed freshman year," he said.
However, Pacelli believes that students are sufficiently notified about the routine security entries.
"I do believe that we notify students adequately about the routine building maintenance and security checks that occur during break periods," Pacelli said.
"In fact, we added this information to the break housing information this past year because it hadn't been included in past years and we were trying to get the word out to students," she said.
Nichols said that aside from confiscating the pellet gun and construction sign, the sweep went smoothly.
"Students did a great job of following the guidelines," he said.