Observer Program Policies Observers are required to use only paper and pen when making observations. Recording devices and cameras are forbidden due to safety reasons. Special identification tags have been created by the campus police department for observers' use during demonstrations. The coordinator of the observer program works closely with the police department to ensure the safety of the observers. Observers are allowed access to any place that protesters and police are unless it is deemed unsafe by the police.
Observers are for the most part silent.
They do not engage in discussion with either police or protesters except to properly identify themselves and to answer questions about the observer program. To enhance the integrity of the observer program, requests for reports are submitted, in writing, to the Director of the Ombudsman Office. Reports are kept in a confidential file in the Ombudsman Office. Observers were asked to walk lines during a recent registration disaster where students were waiting up to 10-12 hours to drop and add classes. Observers recently watched a crowd of 3,000 which was listening to Jesse Jackson and other political speakers.