Boston University boasts of its Boston Police-trained campus safety units (better known as the BU Police Department) as being some of the best protection in the city. But with a campus in the city too, it’s hard to tell the difference between the two, especially when cruisers from both forces can be seen regularly on Commonwealth Avenue. But then again, does it really matter? As long as students are getting the protection they need on an urban campus, who cares? The more protection, the better, right? Wrong.
The Boston University Police Department is vastly different from the Boston Police Department. When the city is involved, it might be hard to determine which cases go where, or how are they handled. When the consequences of different punishments can result in everything from felony records to community service.
In light of the recent on-campus assaults and Allston frat busts, it’s important that students be aware that there is a difference. Especially as students work their way toward graduation, it’s imperative that they know the distinction between their campus police’s judicial affairs and “real world” punishments. But it’s also important that students be aware of not just their own rights in certain situations, but the rights and realities for on-campus offenders as well.
For instance, an on-campus assault could result in being kicked out of the dorms, relocation, suspension or maybe something as simple as community service. In the outside world, an assault can result in legitimate charges and a criminal record.
It is true, however, that assault on campus could very well also result in a criminal record, but it is important to know the consequences and whether or not they are more or less severe &-&- and, in some cases, more or less just.
Because of the attitude surrounding sex in college culture and the potential involvement of drugs and/or alcohol that can unfortunately dilute the actual seriousness of an alleged assault, victims often don’t report attacks to city police, preferring to keep them on campus or even completely quiet. But just because substances are involved doesn’t make such a crime any less terrifying, wrong or punishable by the full extent of the law.
While the same rules tend to apply both on campus and in the real world, the consequences are not always the same. Students should realize that the BUPD is not the BPD and vice versa. That way, justice can be served appropriately, regardless of the stigmas associated with crime in college culture.
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