Winter 2020
Two major physical altercations on St. Paul campus APRIL CARLSON Staff Writer
Metro State students and staff were alerted to three physical altercations that occurred on the St. Paul campus over the summer months. University and employee representatives reached out to students, faculty and staff in a variety of ways in response to these incidents. More conversations surrounding safety and security were considered for fall semester, according to President Ginny Arthur. “We are going to have a follow-up session where St. Paul PD will come in. We might wait until we get that assessment from [the G4S] security consultant, because then we can talk about that report and anything we learned there,” she said in August. While this session is not officially on the calendar yet, President Arthur hopes to schedule it for the end of September. Reviewing procedures and having conversations about safety are top priorities for many organizations following two deadly shootings in El Paso, Texas and Dayton, Ohio at the beginning of August. Metro State is no exception. But safety reviews and conversations were underway on campus even before these national tragedies occurred. They were spurred by two overlapping factors: two major physical altercations occurring on campus grounds and security personnel changing at the beginning of July. Violence on campus On June 19, a Metro State employee was assaulted on the northern steps outside of New Main. Students, faculty and staff were informed of the crime a couple of hours after it occurred via Minneso-
ta State’s Star Alert System. This initial message said that a “racially motivated assault” occurred when a man, later identified by St. Paul police as Steven Parker, approached the employee and asked, “What are you doing in my country?” before striking him across the face. The employee was identified in an interview by KSTP as Shamimul Alam. Alam helped police identify the assailant by picking him out of a photo lineup, according to Metro State’s Interim Safety, Security and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Jason Fellows. Fellows and other university officials were on hand during listening sessions in the days following the incident to address questions and concerns raised by staff and students. Fellows indicated during one session that the assault was not captured by Metro State security cameras because many are motion-activated; this event occurred outside of their activation or coverage range. On July 30, a little over a month after the first summer assault, a second one occurred on the first floor of the Library and Learning Center. Neither of the individuals involved in this altercation were affiliated with Metro State. Fellows stated, however, that one student witnessed the event and later provided a statement to police. According to the incident report, one party was verbally aggressive toward another who was exiting the restroom. A third individual—a known family member of the person who initiated the verbal confrontation—was also present but did not engage in the altercation.
April Carlson / The Metropolitan
View of the skyway to the Library and Learning Center on the St. Paul Campus. The library was the location of two physical altercations over the 2019 summer semester. G4S security contractors are stationed around Metro State to handle such incidents and summon St. Paul police if necessary. Exterior cameras, such as the ones located on the skyway pillar and around the library, also help to monitor campus for security threats. Both individuals exchanged insults and started being physically aggressive; G4S security officers stationed in the library intervened and separated them. The party who initiated the verbal confrontation broke the barrier made by security officers and began to assault the other party on the back of the head. According to Fellows, all of the occurrences up to this point were captured by security cameras. When this physical altercation occurred, however, their positions shifted and the remainder of the incident was not recorded. As the parties engaged in “mutual combat,” a knife fell to the floor, according to the incident report. In a follow-up interview, Fellows said that security officers did not see which party originally possessed the weapon.
The party who emerged from the restroom picked up the knife and wielded it against the other party, drawing blood. At this point, security officers backed away and phoned 911. The person who was injured immediately left the scene, along with his family member. The remaining party left the building a minute later, with security officers in pursuit. Officers kept that individual in sight until police arrived, according to Fellows. St. Paul police issued a trespassing warning to the individual who wielded the knife, which bars him from entering Metro State buildings for one year, Fellows said. No other charges have been filed, and the other individuals involved have not yet been identified or located, despite being famil-
iar faces around the library. Fellows praised the training and professionalism of G4S officers as they dealt with the July 30 incident. “The security officers who were involved displayed how well they were trained, proper procedure, and the response in its entirety from G4S was outstanding. Within 30 minutes of the first report, G4S arrived on campus with their entire management team plus a couple extra staff to ensure the safety of staff, faculty, students, and community members,” he said in an email. A third altercation where St. Paul police were summoned also occurred in the library, according to the Star Alert sent to students and staff on Aug. 7; however, university officials provided few details about this incident.
RACHEL HAGEN Reporter
Restructuring Operations Chief Financial Officer Tracy Hatch identified campus security as a priority since arriving at Metro State nearly eighteen months ago. Hatch designed a plan to restructure several departments in an effort to prioritize safety and security on campus. “I really feel like, for this institution, we need at least a person dedicated and focused on safety and emergency management activities…and so that was really the impetus for the restructure,” she said. According to Hatch, former Director of Public Safety and Auxiliary Services, Thomas Maida, had too many tasks competing for his time and attention. Maida oversaw safety and security, emergency management, parking, ergonomics and the mailroom.
However, shifting responsibilities resulting from the restructure eliminated the position of director of public safety and auxiliary services because it no longer met the supervisory requirements of the Middle Management Association (MMA). Hatch elaborated by saying, “Thomas was no longer a supervisor because he would have no one to supervise. Because he was in the MMA bargaining unit, there was no way for me to remove the other functions, leave him with one function and allow him to still be in that position.” Maida was not opposed to the restructure, according to Hatch. “He even said he couldn’t argue with anything. He really felt like it was the right thing as well, even though he was negatively impacted,” she said. Maida left Metro State
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New faces in Metro State Security Editor’s note: As of Feb. 14, 2020, Metro State has partnered with Allied Universal Security. What this means regarding the pervious contract with G4S, intetended to last until 2024, is unclear. The Metropolitan requested a statement about the change in contractors from Metro State’s Saftey and Security Director Jason Fellows. This request has gone unanswered.
April Carlson / The Metropolitan
G4S Security Officer Whitney Moore sits in the Founders Hall security station at the start of fall semester, 2019. Over the summer, G4S became the new security contractor at Metropolitan State University, replacing American Security. The large monitor (left) displays footage of the security cameras in the building. Students who would like escorts or have concerns are encouraged to speak with one of the officers posted at stations around campus.
Students returning to Metropolitan State University this year can expect several changes related to campus security. Because multiple assaults occurred on campus grounds over the summer, Metro State is required to report them and review safety protocols. Yet many modifications to security operations were underway before these assaults happened.
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