Through an online form and phone line, students, employees and community members can submit tips — anonymous if they choose — regarding “suspicious or criminal behavior, harassment … workplace safety concerns or other hazards.”
Because of the rules set forth in the student handbook regarding behavior guidelines, the phrase “anonymous tips” has become associated with students turning in fellow students for breaking rules. However, according to Craig Russell, the director of the Department of Public Safety (DPS), this is not the intention of the system.
“I think a lot of students think this was a system put in place to encourage students to kind of tattle on each other and that was absolutely not the reason the system was created,” Russell said. “The system was created to help keep the campus safe … I can also tell you that, yes, you do get some of that tattling back and forth on each other that does happen on occasion. We’ve also had real situations … and information that was provided made sure something bad didn’t happen.”
Junior Corey Bassett said he was pulled out of chapel last year by assistant dean of students Brandon Tittle to go to assistant dean of students Chad Joice’s office.
“We small talked for about 15 minutes until he asked me about drug use on campus,” Bassett said. “I told him I don’t smoke and he then told me that someone had tipped that I sold marijuana to students on campus. I told him that I didn’t and he then said that what they usually do next is drug test.”
Bassett then took the drug test and found out a couple days later that he had passed. After this experience, Bassett has a strong dislike for the anonymous tip system.
“I honestly hate the whole anonymous tip line,” Bassett said. “We are all grown men and women who are completely capable of approaching one another when there’s a conflict.”
Although some students may use the tip form to tattle, Russell believes that they misunderstand the intent of the system. He said that this year, a group of students found a way to subtly protest anonymous tips.
“This past year we had a group of students who just did not like the idea of that reporting resource and for a period of several days we would get two or three tips a day of ‘I saw somebody doing an act of kindness or a good deed’ or whatever and they were reporting it on the reporting software,” Russell said. “We read every one. But I think there was a lack of understanding with those students of why we have that resource there.”
Russell said that the tip line is used to help students and bring situations to light. The DPS has received tips from students concerned about a peer who was thinking about suicide. Through the tip, that information was forwarded on to Student Life and the student in danger was able to receive help. Russell said another more common report is from female students about harassment.
“Those are the types of situations that (the system was) created to deal with,” Russell said. “If we can prevent one suicide or we can step in and intercede where we’ve got one young lady that’s being harassed or feels threatened that’s the reason that resource is there. If I have to wade through 100 silly reports — and we did have some that were kind of silly — to be able to protect one student when there’s a safety issue then that’s what we’ll do.”
Zach Neal, the assistant vice president of student life, said all tips regarding student conduct, behavior or mentioning a student’s name are sent to him. He looks into that information and situation to determine the actions, if any, that need to be taken.
“The tip itself is never used as evidence against someone,” Neal said. “I look into that situation from a tip line but any consequence is related to information I know is fact.”
He approximated he receives five to 10 emails per semester from the tips form. Neal also emphasized that, although the form can be anonymous, people are encouraged to include their name and contact information in order to help the administration. He also said that he believes the tip line is used mostly in accordance with its original design, which is to keep the campus safe and provide students a secure way to report information.
“A tip line could receive information that is bogus all the way to information that could jeopardize an individual’s safety or well-being if they were to make themselves known,” Neal said. “It is important for those situations that they have the option to not include their contact information.”
Neal said that he encourages students to confront their peers in a Biblical manner rather than submitting a tip.
“I encourage students to be willing to go to each other personally and hold each other to high expectations,” Neal said. “When information comes to me, unfortunately I am not afforded the knowledge of what has taken place up to this point and my role is to then make sure that I am able to have a conversation with the person of concern.”
