On March 29, 2018, an article posted by two Franklin & Marshall students was released on The College Reporter expressing concerns about third-party security, MProtective, LLC. The article was written in response to the new mandated rule that the F&M administration has enforced at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year that required fraternities to hire third-party security at least once a month in order to host social functions in their houses. This decision was met with high disapproval as F&M students complained about the inappropriate behaviors of these security guards while fraternities were faced with the decision to either comply or lose the opportunity to host events. Likewise, students have reported that administration has failed to include the student body in making an important decision such as this.
The article explained the process and full details that fraternities had to uphold with the incorporation of third-party security into their experiences at F&M. Quite surprisingly, the article also highlighted a few concerning social content that MProtective has published on their Facebook page. Highlighting the discrepancy between the views of the company and those of Franklin & Marshall, students and fellow readers became concerned about F&M’s association with the organization.
In response, Dean Hazlett, Dean of the College, wrote an article the next day to follow-up on the result of the administration’s decision about F&M’s use of MProtective. In the article, Dean Hazlett stated that the F&M administration has decided to terminate its association with the third-party security company and that it will continue to seek other organizations in its place.
Photo courtesy of mprotective.com
What are your thoughts on F&M’s decision to hire third-party security for social functions? Do you agree or disagree with their decisions? Do you think that there was a better way to handle the situation?