There are many pros and cons of living in the University residence halls. One drawback which has become evident to many students is the constant threat of resident hall security officers who patrol the corridors daily from nine at night until seven in the morning.
The most important function of the officers, as cited in the Community Living at Michigan Handbook, is to "maximize the safety and security of residents.Ó Unfortunately, when the safety and security of residents are not in danger, many dorm security officers look to bust students for minor infractions of residence hall rules. Many students have complained about their methods, prompting inquiries into the rights and responsibilities of the security personnel.
One should note that finding information on the guidelines the residence hall officers must follow is extremely difficult. An aura of secrecy seems to shroud Housing Security operations. Information concerning residence hall security should be readily available to the public, but instead, one has to launch a full scale investigation to learn about the desired policies.
One of the major questions concerning the Housing Security is: "Are they police officers?Ó The answer is no. Housing Security is a unit of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), but they are actually more akin to rent-a-cops than real police officers. Many of them became security officers because they did not qualify to become a part of the police force. So, to compensate for this shortcoming some, but not all, of the officers play cops and robbers with the kiddies in the dorms. It is under their jurisdiction to investigate private use of alcohol and marijuana in dorm rooms, but many of the security officers use the ignorance of the students against them. Since a document of students rights to privacy in the residence halls is not publicized or perhaps not even in existence, Housing Security can assume that the students don't know their rights and gain evidence through this knowledge. As one dormitory resident advisor put it, the Housing Security "basically operate on the basis of threat." The best way to avoid being snowed over by a security officer is to know about both your and their rights.
First of all, it is important to know that an officer can enter your room without permission if your door is not completely closed. This means that if your door is open a crack, they can come in. Another variation on this point is that if you open your door with the chain connected to speak to the officer, the door is also considered to be open. If you think this sounds a little contradictory to the point of using the chain, you are not alone. However, if your door is closed a security officer can not enter without an occupant"s permission.
Another unethical wrinkle in Housing Security protocol, though, is that they do not have to identify themselves when they knock on your door. Therefore, if you reflexively yell "come in" at the sound of a knock, they can walk in like anybody else and begin questioning you concerning your activities. The safest route to take is to keep your door locked at night when the officers are on duty, and to look through the peephole before opening your door.
The most heinous miscarriage of justice involved with Housing Security is the consequence for not giving an officer permission to enter your quarters. If you decide not to allow an officer passage into your room he can write you up for suspicion and for non-compliance (vaguely outlined in section 2.3 of Community Living Standards) even if no illegal activity is taking place within the confines of your room. When I asked one of the Directors of Residence Education how an incident report could be drafted without any proof of wrongdoing, I received an approximate answer that amounted to, "because, if you won"t let us in, then we wonder why."
Well, they don"t have to look further than standard number six in the Resident Bill of Rights printed in the Community Living at Michigan Handbook which states: "As a member of the residential community, each resident has the right to personal privacy." Housing Security takes the approach that if a resident is unwilling to invite them into his space, then he must be guilty of something. However, we live in a democratic society in which a person has certain guaranteed civil liberties, such as the right to privacy, which is even written in the U-M Resident Bill of Rights.
There are also other forms of non-compliance. If an officer gains access to your room, sees empty beverage containers, including beer cans, to be taken back for deposit, and requests to look in your refrigerator or around the room, you must permit them to do so or face a possible charge of non-compliance. Essentially, the non-compliance clause takes the choice out of allowing an officer to look in your fridge or around the room, for if you say no, you will be assumed guilty anyway. If there is no choice involved in letting an officer look around your room, then you are being deprived of one of your basic civil liberties.
Granted, non-compliance is treated as a minor offense by housing officials, but possession of small amounts of alcohol and marijuana are also minor offenses. Is not permitting a stranger to invade your personal space really on par with these offenses? Multiple minor offenses are considered equal to a major offense and can lead to termination of a lease. Therefore, if you refuse to allow a security officer into your room on a regular basis, you can therefore be theoretically expelled from your dorm. Though this is a highly unlikely scenario, it is still a possibility. More common punishments for multiple non-compliance incidents are community service and probation. These reprimands are certainly less severe than eviction, but you are still being punished for defending your rightsas a resident.
For more information concerning Housing Security and your civil liberties, contact the Director of Residence Education in your dorm, call the offices of the Department of Public Safety, or just ask one of the friendly security officers (I'm sure you see walking up and down your hall at nights). MR