Chancellor Daniel L. Ritchie heard yesterday the complaints of two graduate students that Campus Safety engages in unfair treatment of minority groups.

At the Chancellor’s Roundtable Discussion, Bassem Hassan told Ritchie about Campus Safety’s excessive vigilance when he and the Arab Student Association were trying to organize a vigil commemorating the 1948 Deir Yassin massacre. Hassan was also upset that Campus Safety released his personal information to the Denver Police Department without his consent.

“Just listening…It seems perhaps it was excessive,” Ritchie said after hearing Hassan’s story. “It sounds to me like this went beyond reasonable bounds. We went beyond where we should have gone.”

Ritchie said that he would investigate university policies and procedures involving the release of personal information to third parties, including the Denver police.

A representative of Campus Safety said that Campus Safety does not generally share information except in specific circumstances. Campus Safety is required to cooperate with Denver police and would only release information if there was a perceived danger to students.

Ritchie said the university would eventually release a statement addressing these issues.

Thomas Ware, the second graduate student to speak about a February incident in which he said he was racially profiled by Campus Safety. Ware, who is black, said he was at the library when he was approached by a Campus Safety officer and was asked to show his student ID. When Ware asked why the officer needed to see his ID, the officer refused to release the information and a second officer was called for assistance. When Ware finally showed the officers his ID, the officers said that they stopped Ware because he fit the profile of a 6 feet, one inch, slim, black male that Campus Safety was searching for. Ware said that he did not fit the profile and was stopped only because he was black.

“Campus Safety refused to take responsibility for its actions,” Ware said.

Ware refused a letter of apology from Campus Safety because Campus Safety denied any wrongdoing. Ware is asking that Campus Safety have more accountability for its actions.

Ritchie agreed.

“I see no reason why a letter of apology is not appropriate,” Ritchie said.

Later other students arrived to share their concerns and questions with the chancellor.

Sophomore Ben Brooks and senior Chris Rutan presented ideas for a new student union.

“It’s critical to have some sort of hub to bring people together,” Rutan said.

Both students would like to see a student union that would provide new eating venues, areas for conversations and a central mail location.

Ritchie will meet with students and the university architect in the following weeks to discuss the possibility.

Other concerns brought up by students included the library’s early closure on Friday and Saturday during finals week, as well as the new admissions interviews.