Last week, the Dallas media reported on a potential threat to students at the SMU Dedman School of Law. The week of January 10, 2005, greeted law students with worry, extra security, and media staked out on the law school quad. Students could not walk two feet without bumping into an SMU police officer.
Fortunately, the threat never materialized, and things quieted down. But not completely.
Friday, January 14, students at the SMU Dedman School of Law received an e-mail message from their student body president, Peter Schulte, containing a press release sent on behalf of the student body.
The press release stated that the Dallas police department did not take sufficient steps to notify the SMU police of the threat received against the law school last week, and that their failure to do so, “potentially placed many of us in serious danger.” The press release went on to state that students were available for comment to the media.
Ed Board finds this press release unnecessary.
What the e-mail did not state was what exactly the police failed to do, or how long they waited to notify SMU police.
While it may be that the Dallas police failed in their duties to protect the SMU law community, the press release did not explain why, and it did not state that their failure is a reoccurring or ongoing problem.
SMU law students would be better to contact the Dallas police directly to discuss the situation, and how a similar situation might be prevented in the future. Communicating with the media rather than the police was not the most effective way to further a change in policy.
Having press availability sends the wrong message so students could be easily quoted sounds more like a publicity stunt, rather than any concern for SMU.
In addition, there was no need to inflame a situation that had already calmed down. By Friday, the story had waned, and bringing additional attention to the threat is not the best way to prevent another similar situation.
Fortunately, the Dallas media chose not to report further on the incident.
In this instance, the Dedman School of Law student body and their leaders should have let it go.
