Why? Cuz I Feel Like It

So the debate these days is over more government vs. less government, more laws vs. fewer laws. Gun advocates scream that there are too many laws and not enough enforcement. Those on the other side say that there isn't enough enforcement, therefore, more laws are required. The fact of the matter is that sometimes it's not about whether or not a law or rule is being enforced, it's WHY said rule is enforced.

Now, I'll bet your response would be something along the lines of "Why is it enforced? Well, because it's the law!" Not true in some cases, and that brings me to an example this week of something that happened to a friend of mine that can only be described as what I call "selective enforcement". It's kind of like selective hearing, which is when you only hear what you want to hear; in this case, selective enforcement is enforcing a rule only when it will benefit you. Not quite snitching, because when you snitch on someone, you're not the one enforcing the rule. Selective enforcement is only reserved for those in positions of power, and this would definitely fall under the category of "power corrupts".

The fall semester is currently underway at Onondaga Community College, a public school falling under the umbrella of the State University of New York. For several years, a collection of people from all kinds of religious, ethnic, and sexual backgrounds have gathered at OCC in what we have affectionately termed "The Group". Not all of them were students at the time, but former students and alumni who had met up with the Group in their student days. Although we have stirred up our share of trouble over the years (e.g. running underwear and people up flagpoles, and some things with certain holy books that shall not be discussed here), we have never been more than merry pranksters and ambassadors for the school. When I went to OCC, we had a Dean of Students who let us do our thing; hell, she loved us. Through a ridiculous decision to downsize by a now-former president, her position was eliminated. Then, when the position was re-created, a Dean was put in place who now apparently sees us as a threat to campus security.

Which brings me to what happened earlier this week and my example of "selective enforcement". My friend Rhino, who is practically the Group Patriarch, Leader, and Mentor, was hanging out with the Group in our usual haunt, the OCC cafeteria. Also there besides the student members were two other former OCC students; I was not there at the time but I arrived after the incident in question. The Dean was in the food line and upon noticing that Rhino was present, she walked up to him and told him to leave. Upon careful examination of the OCC student handbook, it is now apparently against college rules for anyone who is not a student to be on the campus. The thing that strikes me is that there were three non-students at this table. She went after one, and it was the one who we consider our leader. She did not ask whether or not the others at the table were students or not, and during the 90 minutes I was there later, I was not stopped and checked for ID.

Perhaps this may be because I am not what you would call a troublemaker; not that Rhino is either, but given the Group's history, there may be a stigma attached that wasn't there under the previous Dean. it may just be that it's easier to run a school when things that annoy you are not there. That, however, is no reason to create a rule designed to get rid of things that annoy you. Hell, if I were the Dean at OCC, I'd create a rule that says the hill the school is on must be leveled so we don't have to drive up those steep hills to get there. I'd create a rule that says it can't snow during the winter anymore. I'd create a rule that calls for a 15-minute time limit on the arcade games, because isn't it always the case that when you want to play your favorite game, there's always someone there...

OK, I'm exaggerating and getting off topic (I do that sometimes, just stay with me, folks). The point is if you make a rule or a law, enforce it on everyone. Now while this in theory would lead to me getting kicked off the OCC campus and perhaps the death of the Group in general, what I'm saying is it would be much easier to leave well enough alone and not create a rule designed solely to kick ONE PERSON off campus. Hell, let's just call it the Rhino Rule. If the Dean does not try to remove another person from the campus for the rest of the year, I would not be surprised at all.

The basis for the rule is that technically, Rhino and other non-students are loitering. OK, be honest with me folks: how often do loitering laws get enforced? Try next to never, unless it's a mall and the rent-a-cop on duty has to hit his quota or just needs to feel important (again, power corrupts). Seeing as how the security "force" at OCC is a similar situation, maybe the Dean just gave the rent-a-cops there a reason to stop random people on campus and ask to see their student IDs. In both examples, it's stupid. How about actually trying to stop real crimes and disruptions on the campus rather than just stopping that which pisses the Dean off?

All I have to say is that when I go back to Susquehanna to see friends who are still there, the faculty welcomes me and asks how I've been and what I'm doing these days. When I go back to OCC, I face the possibility that I could be tossed off campus simply for BEING THERE. I guess creating a Homecoming weekend at OCC is out of the question. Any alumni who showed up would be thrown out.

In closing, I believe there does need to be more and rigorous enforcement of rules and laws that prevent problems. You want to keep a gun out of the hands of a criminal, go for it. You want to prosecute someone making unwanted sexual advances, by all means. You want to keep smuggled items off the black market, great. However, there is no reason at all to prevent a person from choosing to spend his time with friends on a college campus when he is not causing trouble for anyone simply because YOU have a problem with his very presence. OK, I shall get off my political/idealistic soapbox for now. Next week, probably, some inane rant about why I can't stand Pokemon or something like that...