A debate over a revised resolution regarding the disclosure of sex offenders on campus, which has been among the main focuses of Fresno State’s Associated Students, Inc. agenda for most of the semester, came to a near-unanimous conclusion Wednesday.
The resolution, authored by Neil O’Brien, senator for the College of Health and Human Services, calls for students to receive a general notification email from the University Police Department that informs a student if a registered sex offender is enrolled in their class, lives in the same campus housing as them or is involved in a university-sponsored organization or program.
Two more statements—one intended to provide alternatives to the student and another detailing instructions on the process of obtaining the sex offender’s identity and information from campus police—are included in the resolution. ASI passed the resolution with a 13-1 vote. The resolution is a non-binding formal statement of the student government’s position. Full Article
Also: Fresno State passes revised resolution that discloses info about on-campus sex offenders
If and when this does come into effect I see students on the registry dropping out and not pursuing a higher education. Has this O Brian character stated and proven what this is supposed to accomplish? And has this been sold to the school based on accurate facts, or fear and panic?
Wow, this is shocking! What if the professor finds out and fails them? What if? I actually volunteered for prison ministries and some individuals are allowed to be released into a half way house (large dorm/warehouse) where they receive extensive drug treatment/counseling. If successful, they are released after 6 months and not put on parole. After a time, some individuals are allowed to leave during the day and come back at night. Some attend Junior College via grants. Murderer’s, gang members, robbers, drug dealers and the list goes on and on! Some have been released for the first time after doing 10 years or more? What about the sex offender who was just plead to a misdemeanor and didn’t do a day in jail? This is a very disturbing article. I would highly recommend taking legal action on this? What’s next? What about the guy convicted of a DUI?
It is not yet passed. I wonder what the campus police has to say about this. According to the resolution language, they would be required to send an email to only the classmates, dormmates or activity partners of the registrant, PLUS advise all these students of alternatives for all of the above – that is now an unacceptable danger 🙂 That sounds like a lot more work than sending an All-Student message.
Either they will balk at the extra work or use it as grounds for requiring more funds. Whatever the final vote, this action has already served its purpose by getting its author the publicity one can only assume is his true goal.
Interesting also that in the case cited the accused was not only NOT a classmate, dorm resident or activity participant, but not even a student at the University. This is par for the course… why is it people gladly latch on to things based on ‘facts’ that have absolutely nothing to do with the purpose?
I thought 290 bars pushing the info out — except by the police, and then only by the decision of the police chief or sheriff when the registrant is classified as a serious danger. I don’t see how the students or any other body can make a policy REQUIRING the police to push it out about anyone, much less about every registrant. That should be preempted by the state law saying only the police chief can make that decision, not some other body.
Frankly, I’m sure that limitation is one reasons why many police agencies make their house checks — so they can create enough of a scene that the neighbors find out about the registrant even though the police did not technically notify them.