Tonight, the Mississippi State University police department will hold a mixer between officers and students from 5 to 7 p.m. in the Colvard Student Union Dawghouse.
       The free event titled “Just Us Mixer: Knowing Your Rights While Understanding the Police Perspective,” will allow students to mix with officers and converse on a range of topics.
The MSU police department is co-sponsoring the event alongside the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, Black Student Association and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
    Some of the topics which students can ask officers participating in the event are police brutality, rape culture, hazing and underage drinking. One of the stations will be designated as open allowing students to ask officers questions that do not fall easily into those specific topics. 
    Students who attend the event will be encouraged to visit each of the individual stations. Moderators will also be present at every station to help avoid any confrontations from arising between officers and students.
    In addition, the event will feature free food and the chance for attendees to win door prizes.
  MSU’s Chief of Police, Vance Rice, said he is excited about the event and the prospects that it holds for his officers and the university’s students.
  “The whole idea behind the event is to give underrepresented students on campus a chance to meet officers, ask questions and talk about hard subjects,” Rice said.
  Chief Rice cites many recent incidents in the media for producing the feelings of fear and mistrust that many minority students and communities now associate with the police and those who serve in law enforcement. He says these concerns need addressing, and discussing them will help.
 “There’s been enough violence and confrontation between law enforcement and minorities and underrepresented groups. Enough. Let’s have some open, honest communication,” Rice said.
     Rice said he expects there will be students at the event who will have strong feelings about law enforcement. 
 
  Some of those students in attendance may be from communities directly affected by a police incident. On the other hand, students in attendance may not have been directly affected by an incident with police but their only encounter with an officer may have been negative. 
 “There are individuals who are very upset with law enforcement. Some of those [individuals] will be students here. Not all of our students are from this area. While Starkville has not had any serious incidents, there are areas not too far from here that have,” Rice said. 
    Areas near Starkville that have experienced recent incidents between police and minority communities include Tupelo and Columbus. In both incidents, African American men were fatally shot by police.
  Chief Rice acknowledges many of the issues between minorities and police are much more extensive than the event can even begin to address. 
 Despite the event’s limitations, Chief Rice hopes it will encourage more dialogue while enabling mutual understanding between minority students on campus and police to grow. What he says he does not want the event to become is a blaming match.
     “My officers don’t need to be blaming their side. I don’t want their side blaming our officers,” Vance said. “Let’s talk about it. Can we find some common ground? That’s what we want for the event.”
  Two of the other co-sponsors of the event, the Holmes Cultural Diversity Center and Black Student Association, both strive to promote unity and diversity on campus.  
   Rasheda Boddie-Forbes, the interim assistant vice president for the holmes cultural diversity center, said the event will give underrepresented students the opportunity to get to know the officers protecting them while also allowing students the chance to, “create and build relationships” with officers. 
     Boddie-Forbes also said the event is a great opportunity for students to interact with the university’s police officers and to learn that the officers protecting them have their, “best interest” at heart for students.
   Sydney Reed, president of the the Black Student Association, an umbrella organization for African-American student organizations on campus and liaison between the university administration and all African American/Minority students who are currently enrolled at MSU, said her association, as well as the NAACP, view the event as a positive step 
    Reed said she hopes the event will help, “bring to light recent issues” affecting those in the minority community that need addressing. 
    In addition, Reed said the event is a great way for law enforcement to address issues directly affecting the minority community while, “alleviating tensions between police and minority students.” The event will also help to foster, “better understanding” between the two sides.