You expect your college campus to have a quad, a library, a student center and a cafeteria — but how about a mine-resistant vehicle, a bayonet-knife, a grenade launcher and a bunch of M-16 rifles?
According to a new report, they’re all present on college campuses nationwide. Yes, that’s right — your college could have military-grade weapons and equipment just lying around. Casual.
Last week The Chronicle of Higher Education published a full list of everything the U.S. Department Of Defense has sent to 117 colleges across the U.S. since 1998. Here’s a sample (screenshot via Esquire), just to give you an idea of what kind of school supplies we’re talking about:
Esquire
The full list — which you can check out over at The Chronicle — isn’t even complete yet. The inventory data still isn’t available for 11 states, as well as for Washington, D.C.
So how did all these universities gain this gear? The 1033 federal program allows extra leftover military supplies to be sent to law enforcement agencies all over the country — in this case, campus police forces. Colleges that participate in the program only need to pay shipping and maintenance costs.
These tools are only intended for dangerous situations like shootings or riots, and the police who handle these weapons are also thoroughly trained to do so. But the main worry is that campus police departments will abuse their power — a debate that’s even more critical given the events in Ferguson.
Related: T.I. Speaks Out On Ferguson: ‘America Has Created A Monster’
“[Campus police] have the ability to get equipment that will help them do their jobs at a greatly reduced price,” said Jen Day Shaw, the University of Florida’s associate vice president and chair of the Campus Safety Knowledge Community, in an interview with The Chronicle. “It is a benefit for the whole campus.”
The 1033 program isn’t permanent though, and earlier this week Senator Claire McCaskill held a hearing to talk about its possible revision. (President Obama has also called for a review of the program.) So yes, colleges have some serious military equipment in their possession — but chances are, you’ll spend a lot more time worrying about your grades.
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