TCNJ Remains Silent

By: Lauren Cibelli

On Wednesday, February 18^th, Ann Coulter—a radically conservative political commentator, syndicated columnist, and best-selling author—addressed the students of The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). It wasn’t until the end of her speech that the controversy began.

Michael Tracy, a political science major at TCNJ waited his turn to ask Coulter some questions after her speech. As he approached the stage, police officers ushered him off the stage and arrested him. In the midst of the arrest, Tracy admits the officers unnecessarily brutalized him. (There are many other details to the story I will let you read for yourselves, but I felt it was best to give a little background of the story before I raised my own questions)

Here is Tracy’s full account of the story, posted the day after the event.

http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2009/2/19/155659/800/272/699418

It wasn’t until I walked around Rowan’s campus yesterday that I knew anything of this event. Sidewalks and posters saying “Facebook Michael Tracy” and “Stand with Mike Tracy” but I didn’t think anything of it—I assumed it was something going on in the student center. When I opened up the Whit (Rowan’s weekly newspaper) I saw a photograph of the words I had previously seen on campus and my curiosity grew. As I read the article of Tracy’s I became somewhat frustrated that I had not already heard about this incident. The most appalling information I discovered in my reading was that the incident happened over a week ago.

What makes me most curious is how the public relations professionals at TCNJ are handling this situation. From my own personal research, I have only seen one statement from Matt Golden, executive director of Public Relations and Communications, said Tracey was "behaving in an unruly, and somewhat aggressive, manner.(The police) were forced to restrain him," Golden said. "He was not cooperating and therefore was arrested."

While I feel it was wise for Golden to keep things short and simple, a week after the event, Tracy is getting more and more press coverage, while TCNJ remains quiet. As a public relations student, I feel this is a bad example of what to do in a situation. TCNJ should find some way to protect their image when thousands of prospective students are hearing Tracy’s story of police brutality. This raises an issue of campus safety and security, something that has become a very big deal in New Jersey Universities after Donnie Farrell death at Rowan University and TCNJ’s death of John Fiocco.

Although I am just a student and can not begin to understand the immense stress that the public relations department at TCNJ is facing, I fear for other students like myself who are not getting an accurate demonstration on what to do in the midst of controversy.