BY LUCAS FERREIRA //

Following the second meeting of Curry College’s Student Government Association, concerns regarding the safety of students have arisen in the wake of the recent Georgia Tech student who was shot and killed.

Scout Shultz’s death in Georgia, adding on top of the recent assault and robbery involving a group of Curry College students that occurred last Sunday, Sept. 17 in Hyde Park, has raised concerns regarding the safety of Curry College and its residents.

Specifically, Alexander Bauman, a junior-class representative, mentioned the recent shooting of Schultz as something that should be addressed with Public Safety in a future meeting.

Considering the implications in which Schultz was killed after a confrontation with Georgia Tech Campus Police, Bauman questioned what PS would do should a similar confrontation occur at Curry College.

When questioned whether he thought SGA should hold a meeting with Public Safety in order to contemplate these recent events, Bauman emphasized, “Yes, but I’m focusing mainly on the mental health aspect [of Schultz’ death].”

Bauman continued, “I knew [former] Chief Greeley, had a gun and I don’t know if any PS officer since then had a gun, or is allowed to have a gun,” he said. “I just want to know their protocols regarding mental illness in any situation like that.”

According to a recent article in The Washington Post, Scout Schultz was shot by Georgia Tech Campus Police Saturday night following multiple warnings from campus police to drop the knife. Despite it being unclear whether the knife was in Schultz’ hands after approaching one of the officers who repeated multiple verbal warnings, Schultz was shot one time through the heart and later passed away on Sunday.

Protesters reacted on Monday, Sept. 18 by marching to the campus police department; criticizing and rioting against the use of deadly force used by the officers.

Schultz is remembered for being an active President of Georgia Tech’s Pride Alliance, and for having a history of dealing with mental illness. According to the parents, Shultz identified as neither male nor female and had previously attempted suicide two years prior.

While the main discourse regarding the Georgia Tech shooting centers around the overuse of deadly force and campus police, concerns regarding the care of students coping with mental illness were brought up and voiced by several members of SGA.

Should SGA follow up with a meeting that includes Public Safety and the student body to address these issues? Does mental illness require more understanding on our campus to avoid what happened at Georgia Tech?

While Curry College has thankfully not been susceptible to a similar tragedy, there are still questions regarding how effective Public Safety would be if a similar calamity occur.

For now, Public Safety maintains the main safety outlet for the students and faculty on campus and has not been forced to address situations like these.