A recently released memo from the University System of New Hampshire (USNH), which was covered in previous reporting by The Equinox, outlined the degree of access federal immigration officials would have to areas of campus in the event Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) or Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) conducted operations at Keene State College, Plymouth State University or the University of New Hampshire.
A section of the memo titled “Immigration Enforcement Access to Campus” explained the following details:
“As a public university system, a large portion of any USNH campus is open to the public. Like any member of the public, federal immigration enforcement officers may come onto those areas of campus. While there, they may also enforce federal law. However, public access is limited in certain areas because of privacy concerns, operational needs, or safety considerations. These spaces include University System housing and restricted lab areas that generally require a key card, and/or have locked doors or monitored entryways. Federal immigration officers generally may not access these areas without either a warrant or consent from an employee,” according to the USNH memo.
Director of Campus Safety and Compliance Chris Buckley said campus safety will ensure the USNH memo is thoroughly followed.
“If a member of ICE or law enforcement comes to campus, we will follow the memorandum to the letter,” said Buckley.
While Keene State College is partially composed of public access areas, such as streets, the L.P. Young Student Center and public walking trails, other areas of campus have a variety of different reasons for having limited public access, or altogether restrictions.
Students may not always be aware of the difference.
One of the largest examples of limited access areas on campus is Keene State College’s network of student housing.
Per the USNH memo, student housing falls under the category of areas which would require a valid warrant or employee consent in order to accommodate federal immigration authorities.
The KSC Office of Transitions and Community Living declined The Equinox’s interview request.
Varying reasons exist as to why any given area of campus could be limited or restricted access status.
According to Head of Special Collections and Archives Rodney Obien, the college’s archives and special collection areas require limited access due to the fragile nature of objects and artifacts housed by the college.
“The archives are a closed stack. They aren’t readily available by students and researchers, but are instead open by appointment. We have a lot of rare and special things, and even though we do make it accessible, we want to make sure it’s accessed with care,” said Obien.
Assistant Professor and Lab Director for KSC’s “Big Beliefs Lab,” an on-campus developmental psychology lab, Shailee Woodard said maintaining a restricted access environment is an important part of securing sensitive information.
“Our research includes identifying information, and part of the approval process through the institutional review board is to ensure that we’re protecting participant privacy. For us, that means making sure nobody can easily find out who participated in research,” said Woodard.
Ryan Pacheco can be contacted at
rpacheco@kscequinox.com
