100+ Sign Petition for MOU Reforms

A petition published on Survival (Click Here to View Petition) on September 28th has gained over 100 signatures as of today, Friday, November 14th. Today, the full list was also sent to the BC administration by BC CJP, and we urged them to take the recommendations in the MOU into account when updating the MOU. Thank you to all who signed. See the full list of signatures below.

BC CJP

• Abigail Grittman (Student)

• Abigail Koontz (Student)

• Alayna Vines (Student)

• Alexis Nickel (Student)

• Amos Harder (Student)

• Bethany Schrag (Student)

• Cameron Offerle (Student)

• Carley Bartell (Student)

• Elyza Buller (Student)

• Emily Medbury (Student)

• Faith Peterson (Student)

• Gracia Duron (Student)

• Isaiah Smith (Student)

  • I think that these recommendations give Bethel students a voice in the decision making in regards to police.

• Itzel Del Carmen Licea (Student)

• Jenna Rose Johnson (Student)

• Joshua Suazo (Student)

• Josiah Buller (Student)

• Josue Coy Dick (Student)

• Kamryn Hill (Student)

• Layla Avalos (Student)

• Lynnzey Young (Student)

  • Given every thing that Bethel students expressed last year, I feel as though the current Bethel administration should make these reforms. I think that this would be an excellent opportunity for the administration to show that they truly do care for and consider the students.

    Given everything that is currently going on in the United States, I feel as though these reforms could act as a safe guard for the North Newton Community, in general. It is better to be safe than sorry.

• Micah Wenger (Former Student)

• Mohamed Farah (Student)

• Moses Sawatzky (Student)

• Mya Free (Student)

• Preston Vicenzi (Student)

• Riley MH Hartvickson (Student)

• Selphie Collins (Student)

• Simon Hodge (Student)

• Viola Schmidt (Student)

• Damon Klassen (Faculty)

• Dr.Siobhan Scarry (Faculty)

• Elisabeth Graber (Faculty)

• Elissa Harris (Staff)

• Greta Hiebert (Staff)

  • While I think some of the petition’s suggestions may be too cumbersome to implement, I agree that specific steps should be outlined in pursuit of the goals and values stated in the current MOU.

• Kris Hilding (Faculty)

• Mark Jantzen (Faculty)

• Melanie Zuercher (Staff)

• Nancy Johnson (Faculty)

• Trent Voth (Faculty, Community Member)

• Adalsteinn Kristinsson (Alumni)

• Alejandra Martinez (Alumni)

• Alexander Hoofer (Alumni)

• Alison Schmidt-Tieszen (Alumni)

• Annaken Toews (Alumni)

  • Bethel College has a duty to its students, faculty, administrators and constituents, to uphold the Mennonite values of peacemaking within its policies, procedures, and practices. The college must stay true to its identity as a Mennonite institution.

• Arlo Kasper (Alumni, Community Member, Former faculty)

• Commitment to regular discussion of the MOU seems wise.

• Ben Chappell (Alumni)

  • The history of Anabaptism cautions against any assumption that the values guiding civil authorities will be identical to those that Bethel wants to represent. Supporting accountability to those most affected by the relationship (students) is a necessary, higher standard that the college should hold if inviting the potential use of force onto campus.

• Beth Balzer (Alumni)

• Beverly K Baumgartner (Alumni)

  • I appreciate the care and collaboration built into this MOU!

• Capri Bisom (Alumni)

  • I urge Bethel College to think of the students and their safety and reform the MOU with the NNPD

• Char Ehrmann (Alumni)

  • North Newton is a small town, and even in larger college towns they do not have the same police presence that the NNPD has been enforcing. Students should not have to walk on eggshells on the campus that they pay so much to be apart of.

• Charles Epp (Alumni)

• Chuck Regier (Alumni, Staff, Community Member)

• Claire Unruh (Alumni)

• Daagya S. Dick (Alumni)

  • If police patrols are going to happen, it is critical that Bethel College be fully and restoratively engaged in the process, and the suggestions included herein are a step in that direction.

• Darline Dick (Alumni)

• Edward Peters Dick (Alumni)

• Eli Regier (Alumni)

• Elias Harder (Alumni)

• Eric Buller (Alumni)

• G. John Dick (Alumni)

  • A specific police presence on campus should be justified by an institutional or personal request from the campus.

• Gary Richard Lyndaker (Alumni)

  • Please find how other Mennonite and/or leading national small colleges are maximizing campus safety with the minimum of direct uniformed police involvement.

• Grant Hause-Allen (Alumni, Former Student Fellow within the BC Office of Culture and Belonging)

  • This petition is being proceeded by restorative practices, which I will always support. Having every voice heard on this matter is necessary and important, and will hopefully bolster positive engagements and relationships between the BC community and the NNPD objectively. I support the efforts outlined within this petition’s description.

• Halle Krehbiel (Alumni)

• Hannah Neufeld (Alumni)

• Jerrell Williams (Alumni)

• Jerry Toews (Alumni)

• Jesse Nathan (Alumni)

• Jim Lichti (Alumni)

• Jocelyn Wilkinson (Alumni, Staff, Faculty)

• Jonathan Nathan (Alumni)

  • Get the cops off campus. It’s a school, not a prison. It is a shameful obscenity that armed agents of the state with the unfettered right to kill have been invited onto a Mennonite college campus.

• Joshua Nathan (Alumni)

  • Get ‘er done

• Juan F Coy Teni (Alumni)

• Kaitlyn Shima (Alumni)

• Kalie Kosminski Waldrop (Alumni)

• Kathryn Dick Kasper (Alumni, Former Faculty)

• Katie Rose Friesen Birky (Alumni)

• Katrina Toews (Alumni)

• Kirsten L Zerger (Alumni, Community Member, Former Faculty)

  • Dialogue among different perspectives should never be feared, and usually results in much wiser and more effective decisions.

• Leann Schrag Toews (Alumni)

• Madilyn Chupp (Alumni)

• Myrna Krehbiel (Alumni, Community Member)

• Natalie Graber-Regehr (Alumni)

• Nathan D Koontz (Alumni, Community Memeber)

• Peter Buller (Alumni)

• Peter Goerzen (Alumni, Faculty, Community Member)

• Philip Dick (Alumni)

  • I support good communication between students, the police and the community.

• Phillip Balzer (Alumni, Community Member)

• Priscilla Neufeld (Alumni)

• Sara Dick (Alumni, Community Member, Parent of current and former students)

• Sierra Williams (Alumni, Faculty)

• Tara Atchison (Alumni)

• Tim Parker (Alumni)

• Vanessa Bergman (Alumni)

• Willmar T. Harder (Alumni, Mennonite Pastor)

• Alicia Maldonado-Zahra (Community Member)

  • Police on school campuses not only cause fear especially for marginalized community, but they also limit freedom and restorative accountability measures. As a Mennonite institution, there should be reliance on alternative ways of dealing with issues than reliance on a corrupt state institution.

• Ann Zerger (Community Member)

  • The college needs to develop peaceful mediations for conflicts and tension on Campus. Police presence should be only reserved for extreme situations. This is a Mennonite community and should reflect Mennonite values.

• Elaine R Banman (Grandmother of current BC student)

• Georgia Metz (Pastor, Shalom Mennonite Congregation of Harrisonburg, VA [MCUSA])

• Heidi Regier Kreider (Community Member)

  • I believe that the components requested by the petition would increase awareness and involvement by impacted parties, and would provide accountability for ongoing training, education and safety measures relevant to police involvement at Bethel College.

• Joanna Harader (Community Member)

  • Thank you for your work on this.

• Laurie Hesed (Community Member)

• Lynden Krause (Community Member)

• Marv Zehr (Community Member)

• Natalie Hartvickson (Concerned citizen)

• Nick Martin (Co-Founder & Campaign Director of Mennonite Action)

• Robyn Hartvickson (Community Member, Parent of a current student)

  • I believe providing education, open lines of communication and avenues for voices to be heard are crucial elements to creating peace and harmony within our communities.

• Sanford Nathan (Community Member)

  • Let’s get this done. It’s time to include ALL the stakeholders of Bethel College in this important decision-making process. There are no kings in America.

• Shana Green (Community Member)

• Stanley J Smucker (Community Member)

• Marjean Harris (Community Member, Also, grandparent of a current student and friend of other students.)

  • As a community member and occasional auditing student, I strongly believe students, staff, and faculty should have planned and regular input into any discussions and plans conducted with law enforcement. Possibly serve on any committee(s) that directly interact with the law enforcement staff?

• Dwayne Abrahams (Alumni, Community Member, Former staff)

• Schyler Entz (Alumni)

• Katrina Heinrichs (Alumni)

• Jesse Nathan (Alumni)

• Priscilla Neufeld (Alumni)

• Katrina Toews (Alumni)

• Darline Dick (Alumni)

• Marv Zehr (Community Member)

• Laurie Hesed (Community Member)