From: wb9omc@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick)
Subject: Re: U.S.
Keywords: USA
Organization: Purdue University Engineering Computer Network
Date: 20 Nov 92 17:07:58 GMT

henryc@panix.com (Henry Chan) writes:

>In article <wb9omc.721940082@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu> wb9omc@dynamo.ecn.purdue.edu (Duane P Mantick) writes:
>>patrickd@bigwpi.WPI.EDU (Lazer) writes:
>>
>>trying to fight a recent Purdue admin decision not to let us play in the
>>parking garage anymore.  We've been in there for nearly 5 years without
>>trouble until this weekend......
>>
>>	I don't even know *yet* WHY we have been tossed.
>>
>>	Sheesh.
>Can you tell us what happened?  I noticed that some people don't like their
>cars being touched and get mad if they spot people running in close prozimity.

	Thank you for asking!  In short, we still don't KNOW.  For at
least four and maybe five years, there has been someone playing in one
parking garage or another.  The local cops have not only SEEN us, but we 
CALLED them (at their request) to let them know where and when.

	That could certainly be seen as tacit approval of our activity.

	For the cops, it boiled down to a simple matter - they needed to know
so that if they got reports of "RAMBO's running around in the X garage
with guns" they'd know whether or not to call out the SWAT teams.

	Several things have happened.  A few weeks back, four girls in a car
called the cops and said that one of our players pointed his gun at them
and screamed obscenities at them.  All the players said this was bullshit.
We were told the game was over for THAT night.  Fine.  We were back the
following week with no troubles.

	At about the same time, three local high school students broke into
their school (?) and held a couple of custodians for a while at "gun"point
with air rifles.  There was some uproar and backlash saying "ban airguns",
etc. (just ban stupidity....)

	I had written to the chief of police about the incident with the four
girls - got no response.

	Last Saturday night, one of the group went to use a phone and let 
the cops know we were there.  The cop said that the manager of parking 
facilities had declared no more lasertag in ANY garage here at Purdue.

	I enquired as to why, after all this time.  She told me that 
they were concerned about our safety and those of the parking patrons.
She said that rule XYZ-25 (whatever) prohibited the activity.  I looked
at the rule......she has apparently made the usual broad interpretation
that Purdue administrators are fond of -

	The rule specifically excludes roller skaters and skateboarders
from the parking garages.  Her new interpretation of this is that NO
"recreational" activity is allowed in the garages.  I'd call that
EXTREMELY broad.  I have petitioned her office to rewrite the rule
if they will not reconsider the decision.  I stated that if not, the rule
should be plainly written.

	Now in the letter I got from the Manager of Parking Facilities,
she did not "specifically" address the incident at the local high school,
but sufficient reference was made to concerns about "guns" frightening
parking patrons.  I *did* comment on that incident to the chief of the 
campus cops - and she had been forwarded that letter (which as I said,
the chief did not comment upon) so it is unclear if she heard about the
high school thing on her own OR from the forwarded copy of my letter 
to the chief (big help, eh?).

	I have written her another letter and pointed some things out
but I doubt that she will change her mind.

	Why did we play in the garage?  Well, I wasn't part of the
group who started doing that, but I suspect that it yielded more
"cover" and ambushes than just about anywhere else.  It provided some
cover during rainy days and a bit of windbreak in the winter plus
being lighted at night, but not TOO much.

	An interesting side aspect is that the parking garages were
the single best place on campus where we would have the lowest potential
effect on anyone other than ourselves.  Late on a Saturday night, 90+
pecent of the campus community is NOT interested in the garages.....
meaning minimal interference to anyone and from anyone.

	Until now.

	The claim that they are interested in our "safety" has been
used by Purdue officials before to try to terminate events/activities that
they don't approve of.  I am suspicious that somebody has gotten a
burr up their ass about our "guns" and has decided to shove their
attitudes down our collective throats.  I have no proof of this, as yet.

	We have been told that we can play anywhere else EXCEPT the parking
garages.  Right.  I'd like to see what happens if we open up a game
on the main engineering mall.......

	Sigh.  I am trying to proceed with my inquiries in a most polite
way.  Whether or not my inquiries continue to be polite depends on the
answers I get.  If they start trying to bullshit me, I am likely to
get rude in return - which has its risks, but I have seen time and time
again that often, the only way to get things done at this "school" is
to get into somebody's face.  Sucks, but is true......

	BTW, the four girls who complained about us appeared to be "joyriding"
in the garage.  I pointed out that they must also have been breaking
the rules since "joyriding" sounds like "recreational" activity to me.....

Duane

Newsgroups: alt.sport.lasertag