With more than 50,000 visitors in town for the Republican National Convention, the University of Tampa is making an effort to have the first week of school run as smoothly as possible. Nevertheless, the beginning of this fall semester won’t be like any other semesters. Necessary changes have been made in order to ensure the safety of incoming students and to accommodate the RNC.
For those new and even those returning to UT’s campus, the most visual change will be the increased presence of Campus Safety, as well as other uniformed personnel. According to Linda Devine, Vice President of Operations and Planning, the number of security guards will vary by day and assignment. However, staff will be especially visible, always in uniform and easy to identify near the entrances to campus and parking garages.
“[UT] has retained the services of additional personnel for about two weeks (including before and after the convention) that will work under the direction of Kevin Howell, Director of Campus Safety,” Devine said. Howell has been working for months with local law enforcement in planning for the RNC security. “We have good relationships with outside agencies, and we made a special effort to reach out to our college colleagues in other cities that have hosted conventions. RNC 2012 is a bit different as it is a multi-day event, so our planning [has been] extensive,” said Devine.
What it comes down to, though, is will all of this extensive planning and increased security measures be enough to protect the students?
As far as senior and marketing major Elyse Perez is concerned, “I doubt the extra security will do very much. It’s such an open campus.” Though the RNC is new to Tampa, the amount of people is not new to Perez. “It’s important to keep in mind that a similar amount of people flow into the city during Gasparilla every year,” said Perez.
According to Devine, events like the RNC have been common over the years besides the annual Gasparilla. “The Queen Elizabeth visited our campus in the 80’s; she walked through Plant Hall and was feted at a reception in Fletcher Lounge. What a day in Tampa that was!” said Devine. A few years ago President Obama and Vice President Biden had a town hall meeting, Senator McCain has been to campus twice, and UT was the host to the Today Show. In addition, Liberian President Sirleaf spoke at Commencement ceremonies.
The security procedures for these previous events have all varied; however, “For the events involving heads of state or persons of national prominence, all levels of government (local, state, federal) are involved. The details vary according to the schedule, but every effort is expended to coordinate and otherwise share information and resources,” said Devine on behalf of Kevin Howell.
When it comes to the university protecting its students, Rachel Lurie, a junior and psychology major, has no doubt that the school will do its job. “The school has been taking such large measures to protect everyone for while the RNC is here, so I don’t feel threatened at all, said Lurie, “Even if I did feel unsafe, I would never hesitate to call security.”
Another safety measure that will be put in place is bright, neon green lanyards that students will have to wear at all times. There are two purposes for the lanyards: first, to have a tangible reminder to carry one’s identification, and in addition, to have a visual signal that students are part of the university. In order to get on campus, you must have a valid Spartan Card on you at all times. Though some students are not too happy to wear the neon green lanyards, Lurie believes that people are forgetting one important fact: “It’s one week,” said Lurie, “not even including the weekend.”
Though the week may not be as routine as years past, the RNC has become a common part of planning. According to Devine, “The campus preparations for [the] RNC have been a regular part of the RNC Committee’s work for over a year. Our campus RNC Committee reflects all parts of campus, including a group of faculty who worked on policy matters that affect the classroom.”
“[We’re] making every effort to have a regular first week of classes in an extraordinary period in Tampa,” Devine said, “Dr. Sclafani, Professor of Psychology and Interim Dean of Student Services, has been working with faculty to see that classes meet, either in person or remotely.”
Yet, some students have mixed feelings about how normal the first week of school should be. “I would rather UT try and keep the first week of classes as normal as possible,” said junior and writing major Jorgia Stone, “I think if they cancel the first week it will only create more chaos. It will only add more pressure to the teachers to fit in material they were going to cover in that first week.”
Lurie appreciates the school trying to make it as normal as possible, but under the circumstances, she doesn’t think there’s any room for it. “There are so many students that live off campus and getting to campus everyday is going to be a nightmare. The teachers getting to campus is going to be a nightmare,” said Lurie, “A lot of students have internships with the campaign and it’s a great opportunity for them to not have to juggle classes on top of that. I don’t see why we shouldn’t have online class for one week.”
However, according to UT’s website, “Classes will begin on Monday, Aug. 27. There will be no cancellations. All students are expected in class but should check Blackboard and UT email to see if an online delivery will be offered for the RNC week.”
The Republican National Convention is almost here, but that doesn’t meant these changes are set in stone, especially with recent gun violence around the country. “These occurrences are sad and tragic reminders of how we must be vigilant and care for one another,” said Devine. To keep up with the most recent news about the RNC, check out http://www.ut.edu/rnc.
Stef Crocco can be reached at stefcrocs@yahoo.com