By: Landon Lauder
On a campus of thousands of students, it’s rare that you can pick out an acquaintance from across the way in a pack, much less a complete stranger who is required by law to stay off of the campus.
Such an event happened on Wed., Sept. 11 at about 6:30 pm. A suspended student from the University appeared near Brigman Hall, just across from the speed school and Eastern Parkway. This person was, “put on suspension ‘persona non grata’ by the Dean of Students,” according to Lieutenant Colonel Kenneth Brown of the University Police. The offender was “charged with Criminal Trespass III.”
Being charged with Criminal Trespass III seems a bit unwarranted when it appears as if a student just walked onto campus even though they were, “told not to.” However, the perpetrator had previously been served with a ‘persona non grata’ which, according to the University’s Policies and Procedures, is a legal excommunication from, “any University of Louisville property or…any University-sponsored events (on and off campus).”
“By law, we cite instead of arrest,” Lt. Col. Brown specifies.”Because the person had already been legally banned from campus from the persona non grata, they were arrested.” Despite being arrested, Lt. Col. Brown noted there “was no resistance,” and there “was no weapon on the person at the time of the arrest.”
When going about your business on campus, you are amongst the most diverse and one of the largest campuses in the state. It often becomes hard to tell if the person beside you is a friend or foe, welcome or banned. In order to tell the difference between those allowed and not allowed, Lt. Col. Brown advises that, “anytime you see anyone not supposed to be on campus, come to the University Police and we will take any action that is necessary,” because, “no one in particular is watching.”
Photo Courtesy of Google Images
