In the spring term, Ripon College administrators recognized that the campus community could be affected by the politicization of certain immigration issues. Since then, the executive office of Ripon has taken steps to help students and faculty understand what they should do if it arrives in Ripon.
On Jan. 6, students were blind carbon copied (BCC’d) on an email by Dean of Students Al Sturgeon. Titled “Information Regarding How to Respond if Approached by Law Enforcement Officials on Campus,” the 415-word email detailed how to address first responders and law enforcement, and mentions the proper procedures for handling “outside law enforcement agencies.”
Sturgeon specified that the term “outside law enforcement” extends to a greater scope than compared to other colleges around the country. However, he noted that when specifically applied to Ripon, “all law enforcement agencies are ‘outside’ agencies for our purposes, including local, state, and federal law enforcement personnel.”
Though vague, the email was released against a backdrop of greatly expanded activity in the region by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Worries about ICE had been raised with the administration during and prior to Ripon College’s Winter Break, as documented by Sturgeon.
Even with the email being sent prior to the killing of Renee Nicole Good on Jan. 7 and Alex Pretti on Jan. 24, the administration intended to make it clear what students are legally able and unable to do in such theoretical situations.
“We wanted to clarify procedures should any law enforcement agency approach individuals in an attempt to access campus, not just one particular agency,” Sturgeon said in a personal interview. “[We] consulted attorneys to confirm that our procedures represent best and current practices before sending out this email to the campus community.”
With these procedures more readily available, consequently, some online discussions started to circulate over social media about how certain groups on campus would react, or rather, what good it would do. Questions arose as to who on campus could be affected and if Ripon could be targeted.
In an interview with Ripon College President Victoria Folse, the president noted that this kind of political atmosphere alarms her.
“We are a little insulated in central Wisconsin, but not immune,” Folse said. “That is one of the reasons why that communication has gone out … [and] formatted the way it was.”
Moreover, in relation to the primary objective of ICE, where it is stated that one of the core missions is “… through its administrative authority to arrest individuals deemed a threat to public safety on their unlawful immigration status without additional criminal charges,” President Folse stated that the college’s mission is aligned with protecting all students.
Safety for all students appeared to be the message from all higher authorities at Ripon. On Jan. 15, during Resident Assistant spring training, Director of Residence Life Mark Nicklaus made note of procedures to Resident Assistants and re-emphasized his concern for all students in another interview on Feb. 13.
“Our academic and residence hall facilities are always designed with safety as the first consideration,” Nicklaus said. “I always worry when someone who is not a member of our community is in our residence halls. Even though there haven’t been any direct concerns raised by outside law enforcement on our campus, I keep an eye on the local news and events. Additionally, we are really fortunate to have a solid working relationship with the Ripon Police, and I have no doubt that they will offer assistance and direction in the event of a concern.
Folse and Sturgeon both supported statements that the college is properly equipped to assist any students, whether it be legally or through counseling services. However, to keep safe, the college is leaving it to the students’ discretion to be aware of the policies that were electronically distributed to them over one month ago and to take a proactive stance rather than a passive one.
“Simply put, statistical probability [is why I don’t foresee a situation like this occurring],” Sturgeon said. “There are approximately 20 million college students in the United States in thousands of colleges, and as a small college in a rural setting, the likelihood is very slim. However, it is important for us to have plans in place in the unlikely event that this occurs.”
