We, the undersigned students and community members of the Rhode Island School of Design, are formally submitting this petition to address ongoing harassment, inappropriate behavior, and sexual misconduct by a Public Safety Officer. This petition comes as a result of the dismissal and inaction of Equity & Compliance when alerted of these events. 

The Public Safety Officer has directly pursued and harassed students both physically and online by sending repeated and undesired non-consensual communication through social media to the affected students, seeking them out in their workspaces, and identifying them by their vehicles and clothes. 

This has caused the affected students to fear for their own safety as well as the safety of their classmates, compromising their ability to attend class, work in their studios, and be active on campus. 

Our petition asks for the removal of a Public Safety Officer from the Rhode Island School of Design. 

Summary of Concerns:

The inappropriate actions and behavior of this Public Safety Officer has negatively impacted students and violated the standards of a safe educational environment. Specific incidents include:

Incident 1: The officer approached a Jewelry + Metalsmithing student outside of the Metcalf building and asked if she is in the Jewelry department (yet they have never previously met or spoken). He asked to follow her Instagram account. The student initially refused and expressed discomfort but eventually relented and shared their professional art account after the officer expressed an interest in their jewelry work. The officer then found the student’s personal account and followed it without their consent, proceeding to actively like, comment on their posts.
Incident 2: The student parked their car near Metcalf while a RISD Public Safety vehicle was parked across the street. About ten minutes later, the officer entered one of the Metcalf studios, found the student at their workspace, and identified the car they drove, citing that their lights were on. When the student questioned how the officer identified their car, he stated that an individual had called Public Safety about the light and that he identified that the car belonged to them by reviewing surveillance footage. In the context of the officer’s behavior online, this raises serious concerns about the student’s privacy and his access to information through his position.
Incident 3: The officer followed a different student’s instagram account and proceeded to like and comment on her posts. The sophomore student has been stopped outside on their way home to their dorm in 15 West by the officer multiple times regarding their attire. In no way were the conversations related to public safety.

Requested Actions:

For the safety and wellbeing of students at RISD, we respectfully request that school administration take immediate action, including:

• Opening a full, transparent, and impartial investigation into the allegations against the Public Safety Officer under all applicable employee conduct policies involving the inappropriate use of his uniform, position, surveillance access, work time, and information obtained through his duties.
• Implementing immediate protective measures and accommodations for affected students, including a no-contact directive and a reassignment from Metcalf building.
• Providing a formal response by confirming who is responsible for handling this matter, providing a written timeline for next steps, and scheduling a meeting with students to discuss the findings and next steps.
• Potential removal of the officer from RISD.