Secret Service agents and Mesa Police officers joined College
Safety to maintain order on campus during President Bush’s
MCC visit Jan. 21.
Students were forced to adjust to the changes as buildings were
closed and classes were either canceled or moved. The south parking
lot was also closed to students.
College Safety played an integral role in closing off the parking
lots and designating alternative parking areas for students. They
also assisted the Secret Service in setting up barricades and
maintaining a perimeter that would keep potential threats away
from the president.
According to Steve Corich, director of College Safety, his job
was to keep things calm in spite of the intense atmosphere. “I’m
in charge of everything that has to do with maintaining some sort
of semblance of normality regarding our day-to-day schedule. We
try to reach a happy medium,” he said.
Corich also placed an emphasis on making sure the students were
accommodated.
“The thing that concerns us the most is making sure that
students can access their classes with the least amount of hassles
as possible.”
In preparation for the parking lot closures, College Safety allowed
students to park in areas that are usually off-limits to cars.
These areas included two practice fields on the east side of campus.
Cars were also allowed to park in a grassy area near John D. Riggs
Stadium.
Students also had to deal with building closures. Classes in the
Art and Communication building were canceled between 11 a.m. and
5 p.m. and some classes in the Social and Cultural Sciences building
were relocated.
The Theatre Outback, where President Bush spoke, was closed all
day on Jan. 20 and Jan. 21.
Most students were aware that there were going to be delays.
“I knew that I had to get here early,” said student
Ron Smith. This semester is Smith’s first at MCC.
Lenny McNiel knew that he wasn’t going to have class that
day. “My instructor was courteous enough to call me the
night before,” he said.
As the day progressed, the focus of the security personnel shifted
from the parking lots to the Theatre Outback. Police officers
and Secret Service personnel began to station themselves at different
points around the perimeter.
Security at the entrance of the theater was also strict.
Those who attended the meeting had to have an invitation and they
also had to be on the specific list of personnel who were invited
to attend.
“There were people who wanted to get in who didn’t
have either,” said Leeann Tinney, who is a dispatcher for
the College Safety office.
She also noted that if they just had an invitation, they couldn’t
go in. Conversely, if they didn’t have an invitation, they
had to wait for verification that they were on the list.
Overall, there were no serious troubles at the entrance.
There was a heated protest in the back of the Theatre Outback,
but Tinney said that “they didn’t cause any real problems.”
Overall, Corich saw this as an opportunity for the College Safety
department. He said that this was a chance to “showcase
a professional organization.” He also commented that they
received good comments from the Secret Service.
“Everybody was extremely satisfied,” Corich said.
|
