The Goah Diversity Scholars hosted the campus conversation “A Conversation with a Cop” on March 14 in Hyder Auditorium to accommodate the 160 students who attended.
The Betty Goah Diversity Scholars Program allows full-time undergraduate students to enhance the educational experiences of their classmates by sharing their culturally diverse experiences. Each semester these diversity leaders try to sponsor a conversation on campus that is centered around the current racial tensions that have been made prevalent in society.
This semester, the Goah Diversity Scholars chose to host “A Conversation with a Cop” for two specific reasons: to understand the point of view of police so that we could better empathize with those who protect us and to understand how national tensions and trends have affected our local police department and community.
“A Conversation with a Cop” was set up Q&A style. The panel comprised of two local police officers from the Johnson City Police Department, Mark Sirois and Karl Turner, and a representative from Johnson City Community Relations, Becky Haas. Leading the discussion were Jacob Beverly, president of the Goah Diversity Scholars Program, and Phil Kenneson, associate dean of the school of Bible and ministry.
The panel addressed a wide range of police-related topics, including the day-to-day challenges police officers face, police protocol and racial tensions.
The Johnson City Police Department also discussed how they have been seeking to grow their relationship with the community and bridge the gap between the police department and the public, such as joining the nationwide Coffee with a Cop program.
Coffee with a Cop allows individuals in the community to get to know the officers better with more one-on-one conversations in which they can ask questions and address any concerns they may have.
Rachel Owens, admissions counselor and interim director of multicultural engagement, said, “It was cool, because afterwards the department was excited about having a relationship with the college and invited students to be involved.”
Owens, along with many other students, was excited about the opportunities this presented for Milligan.