By Andrew Mollenauer
College Park Day:
Last Saturday’s 13th annual College Park Day allowed the community to display its pride and the plethora of things to offer in the College Park area. Our reporter, Ethan Broschart, covered the event, noting how it drew students and city residents alike to the College Park Aviation Museum. The event featured a robust lineup of events across categories like food and drink, arts, games and performances, but perhaps the biggest takeaway from it has less to do with what was there, and much more with who made it possible. Broschart quoted Rehanna Barre, a local economic development intern, who felt that that day of celebration merely scratched the surface of all the college town has to offer. “It’s not just vendors. It’s also stuff for the city that you may not have access to if you didn’t come,” Barre told Broschart. “You’re reinvesting your money into your own community…if you want to support your community, this is a great way to do that.”
Campus Vigils:
Our reporter, Jack Wynn, covered last Monday’s campus vigils in observance of the victims in the one-year anniversary of Hamas’ invasion of Israel that led to the deaths of 1,200 people and the kidnapping of more than 250. The vigils being able to proceed is noteworthy given University of Maryland President Darryll Pines’ initial restriction on gatherings that day. Pines had originally barred all but campus-sponsored events from being held that day, but legal pushback made the U.S. District Court of Maryland rule in favor of those who wished to assemble for the campus vigils. Wynn noted the wide array of public speakers’ testimonies and prayers and that both pro-Israel and pro-Palestinian supporters were present in their displays of solidarity among their respective groups.
Latinx Heritage Month:
For Latinx Heritage Month this year at UMD, the theme of “Sueños sin Fronteras,” which means Dreams without Borders, is setting the tone for conversation on pertinent topics through activities such as arts and crafts, musical performances and ceremonies. That theme relates particularly to current events impacting the Latinx community, such as immigration, an issue that has been widely discussed in the 2024 election cycle. Our reporter, Ashna Balroop, covered the beginning of this month of cultural observance rooted in key matters of identity that are far-reaching in impact for many voters in this election cycle. Among the biggest events so far was the career panel “Dream Beyond,” which featured alumni and was also sponsored by the University Career Center and Latinx Alumni Association. Balroop noted that the dialogue was “productive and useful” to attendees.
Common Grounds: Police, Community Bridge Gap Through Coffee (SPOTLIGHT)
By Andrew Mollenauer
On the second Wednesday of each month, University of Maryland police officers can be found mingling with the public outside The Coffee Bar in Adele H. Stamp Student Union. While the informal morning chatter is not exactly business as usual, it serves a purpose: Small talk, big impact.
The campus police department is one of thousands across all 50 states and 43 countries participating in the ‘Coffee With a Cop’ nonprofit, according to Chris Cognac, one of its co-founders, who spoke in a phone interview. The initiative seeks to strengthen the trust between law enforcement and civilians through fellowship over a morning cup.
“Community is so important, period,” UMPD spokesperson Lt. Rosanne Hoaas said. “And as a law enforcement officer, as an agency here on our campus, our mission is to serve our community and to provide opportunities in which we can meet our community. .”
Eugene Chan, a junior criminology and criminal justice major, has been attending Coffee With a Cop at UMD for two years.
“This is a really good way of officers building trust and relationships in the community, and I think I’ve greatly benefited from that,” Chan said. “It’s changed my perspective on police officers. I used to see them as big bullies who think they own the streets. They’re more than willing to have conversations with you.”
Chan said Coffee With a Cop at UMD has inspired him to look for career opportunities with campus police.
The international organization was founded in 2011 in Hawthorne, California after officers had the idea to converse with residents over coffee at a local McDonald’s. Cognac, a 26-year veteran and retired sergeant of Hawthorne Police Department said the initiative is pervasively addressing barriers between police and citizens.
“People need an icebreaker,” Cognac said. “There’s two sides of the bridge, but the bridge isn’t connected. Coffee is that connector. Then, the conversation will start, and it can be anything.”
Cognac said a key component of Coffee With a Cop’s philosophy is the idea that, ultimately, law enforcement and the general public are not mutually exclusive.
“It’s a mechanism to build trust and put people in the same playing field,” Cognac said. “Nobody is better than anyone else. It builds relationships and shows commonality. We’re just like everybody else.”
UMPD Capt. August Kenner said the dialogue through the event is a reminder to everyone involved that all people, in uniform or otherwise, are on the same team when it comes to doing what is best for campus.
“I think it’s important that we engage and build those partnerships with… our entire university community… because when everybody knows what our role is and what their role is, we can come together as a community and have a safer College Park,” Kenner said.
With police brutality a common controversy discussed across the media and the public forum, many are skeptical of law enforcement, which is what makes Coffee With a Cop a great opportunity for the public, according to Cognac.
“Sit down [and] get to know who we are,” Cognac said. “It’s like fabric. Coffee with a Cop is the needle and thread that fixes it. It’s a conduit to create better things.”