York County PA April 13 2018 Franklin & Marshall College has parted ways with a York County-based security company it hired to monitor campus fraternity parties after the firm was accused of misconduct and posting demeaning content on Facebook.

MProtective began working at the college during the 2016-17 academic year to “ensure the safest possible environment when students are socializing,” according to F&M spokesman Kevin Burke.

The college’s campus life policy requires security at fraternity events, he said, adding that fraternities are required to help pay for the security.

Burke said using a third-party security firm keeps officers from the college’s department of public safety free to patrol the campus. The department has 20 sworn police officers, four security officers and four dispatchers, according to F&M’s website.

The college severed its relationship with MProtective last month in response to “inflammatory and disrespectful” social media posts, according to a March 30 announcement from Dean of the College Margaret Hazlett.

The posts were brought to the attention of F&M administration after an editorial published in the student-run newspaper March 29 criticized MProtective for racist, homophobic and xenophobic posts on its Facebook page.

MProtective manager Duane Ness told LNP the posts were taken out of context and were intended to share stories of security doing a good job.

On Tuesday, about 75 students gathered in front of the college’s main administration building in an event titled “Take Back Our Campus,” held in part to express frustration with how the college handled MProtective.

“They should have been gone months ago,” said Anna Zwirn, 22, an F&M senior who planned the event.

Zwirn said last fall she heard multiple stories of sexual misconduct by male MProtective officers toward female students at parties.

One student filed a formal complaint with F&M last fall in which the student accused an MProtective employee of inappropriate conduct, Burke said. He said the college was not able to substantiate the claim and would not elaborate on what the inappropriate conduct was.

Ness said the security company also investigated and found no evidence to back up the student’s claim.

After the complaint was filed, F&M worked with the security company on training for interacting with students and believed the college was “seeing improved communication and training on the part of MProtective,” Burke said.

Asked if the sexual misconduct allegations were a factor in severing ties with MProtective, Burke said, “When these demeaning posts were reported to us, along with the concerns expressed in the earlier complaint, we felt that we needed to sever the relationship.”
Lancaster-Online

Share this post: on Twitter on Facebook