I’m sorry, sometimes I forget: Are we living in the United States, circa 2006, or are we living in the People’s Republic of China, circa 1969? It’s hard to tell with news like this: Virginia Tech has just launched a “SafeWatch” program to promote “individual and collective responsibility among students, faculty, staff, and guests” to incorporate the Virginia Tech “Principles of Community” into their interpersonal and intergroup relationships.
Patterned after “neighborhood watch” programs, SafeWatch will “promote understanding” of university policies and community expectations related to harassment, discrimination, or similar behaviors, and provide a way to report instances when policies and expectations are not followed.
Central to the program is a new SafeWatch website that provides a means for community members to report occurrences of discrimination or harassment related to age, color, disability, gender, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and veterans’ status.
Just wait, this is a disaster waiting to happen.
