In the Fray
The party’s over at the College of Santa Fe
By: Corey Pein 12/10/2008
Mobile phone footage of Karla Kerner's arrest:
Midnight passed and the DJ kept playing. It was a joint birthday party for Libras, who are born, fortunately or not, under the scales of justice.
The hosts lived two blocks from the College of Santa Fe, on Vitalia Street. Approximately 30 guests were crowded inside and on the porch, drinking and trying to talk over the electronic music.
Nobody should have been surprised when the police came. The party could be heard down the block, and the Santa Fe Police Department had stepped up its patrols of the area.
But even those who understood how tense things were getting between the party-going students and the local police could not have foreseen what happened that night: the screaming, the struggle and the subsequent, sobering prospect of an 18-month prison sentence for one young woman.
Before she found herself in serious trouble—charged, among other things, with crushing a police officer’s testicles—Karla Kerner thought CSF took care of its community.
But Kerner, a petite, tattooed 22-year-old who finished school in May, quickly discovered what every new graduate eventually does: She’s on her own.
The first clue came when a college nurse declined to photograph injuries Kerner says the police inflicted during her arrest. “I paid health insurance for two years,” she says, “and never took so much as a Band-Aid.” Then she learned the college offered “no legal help, no aid, no advice” to students in trouble with the law.
To Kerner and her friends at CSF—many of whom have had their own recent encounters with police—the takeaway seems clear.
“Especially now, since the school’s having so much trouble—maybe going under—they don’t want to get themselves involved,” Kerner says. “They’re not willing to stand behind the students.”
Even for students who’ve kept out of handcuffs, it’s a scary time at the College of Santa Fe.
Just two weeks ago, students struggled to finish their finals without knowing whether they’d return in January to new classes or an empty campus.
The nearly 150-year-old private college is some $30 million in debt, which students and faculty blame on past mismanagement. Administrators have tried various ways to raise money—such as introducing sports teams and selling some land fronting St. Michael’s Drive to a bank—but none have proved sufficient. 
The college’s last and best hope seemed to be a takeover by Laureate Education, Inc., until CSF President Stuart Kirk announced the Laureate deal had fallen through just as students and staff left for Thanksgiving. The sparse, ill-timed announcement seemed typical of CSF’s official responses in difficult times.
Administrators hope the state of New Mexico will take over the school. Rather than wait to find out, many students are preparing transfer applications. Their anxiety is apparent in every discussion. One comment recently left on SFR’s Web site sums up the fear:
“[S]hame on you College of Santa Fe, you frauds, you cheats, you horrible people. You stole my money, you conned me, you made a fool of me and every other student at this college.”
Yet even before students knew their academic futures hung in the balance, an unprecedented series of conflicts with local police this year had frayed their nerves.
Some students feel the police have targeted them for harassment. Administrators count three students arrested on campus in the fall semester and five more arrested off campus. In the three semesters prior, no students were arrested on campus.
Santa Fe Police don’t deny they’ve stepped up their patrols at CSF, although they maintain harassment is the last thing on their minds. Rather, police say, they’re taking “a more proactive role” in what is essentially a large private neighborhood that has historically stayed off the radar of law enforcement.
Ariana Lombardi, a CSF freshman working on a documentary about the rising tensions with police, takes a dispassionate view of the controversy. While Lombardi thinks the police haven’t always behaved ethically, she says, “Some of the kids are like, ‘Fuck the police. I can do what I want.”
On that point, the SFPD has proven them wrong. And the administration, essentially powerless to prevent the police from patrolling their private but wide-open campus, have offered little reassurance.
“Everybody’s pissed off,” Cole Wilson, a CSF teaching assistant and recent graduate, says. “But they don’t know what to do.”
Anger and uncertainty: No two words better summarize the mood at one of Santa Fe’s oldest and largest institutions.
Comments (40)
i was glad to read the comments here posted by other csf students, especially jester and karla. i was totally offended by this article for many reasons and i think that anyone who reads this article should know that, if anything, it is very loosely based on truth.
with all the problems csf is going through right now, the last thing we need the community thinking of csf as some sort of hotbed for criminal activity. knowing almost every student involved in the cases reported, i can say with confidence that they were all misrepresented. in the case of the party at kerner's residence, it seems pretty clear that all parties could have handled the situation better, and that everyone involved, including the police, were poorly prepared to manage the incident.
the main point of this article should have been to focus on the increased police presence on our campus, which is a private institution, instead of focusing on a off-campus party thrown by someone who is not even a current student.
this article is just another example of the poor journalistic standards at the reporter, a paper i continue to read only because it contains "savage love". if anyone is a criminal, mr. pein, it is you.
-a concerned and offended csf student
As others above me have already stated, the people interviewed were grossly misrepresented. It's no secret that this has been a rough year for our school; the unusually frequent presence of cops (and their unfair and inexcusable conduct) and the financial crisis have many of us really concerned about the future of the school and our future as students. What we need right now is community support, and this completely distorted perspective of what's happening at the school does very little to encourage that. I'd even say it discourages it. Our students aren't just deadbeat, drugged-out party animals as this article seems to suggest. Our community is made up of talented, intelligent, passionate students and faculty. The picture this article paints of our school is wrong.
What you have suggested about our dean is also completely inaccurate. He isn't some non-responsive presence who doesn't care about the students or what's happening with us. In the rape case example, it seems that you did ask one person involved with the administration to make a statement, but other than that, did you bother to do any research outside of facebook? As a woman, I hate to say it, but there are reasons why this case was deemed inconclusive and you failed in your investigation for the sake of writing your story. This entire article lacks credibility and more importantly, journalistic integrity. In a time when our school needs support, this type of literature is shameful.
-Nellie Reesby
As a member of the CSF community, I too am concerned with the spin Pein put on this article. Indeed, it is the truth as he saw it, through gathering information from many sources. However, what is most problematic is that, in a time of crisis at CSF, he is not, in any way, helping us to garner community support. At this point I feel like the Santa Fe community is watching us flounder and doing little to help. If people enjoy going to the Screen, or seeing theatre at the Greer Garson, perhaps they could step up and join the student body in trying to enact positive changes in our campus community.
Clearly, Mr. Pein, my fellow classmates feel misrepresented and hurt by your article--was this your intention? Was it also your intention to make us all seem like drunken losers? Because I know for a fact that all the people you mention in your article are bright, talented, caring people.
We have all been nervous with SFP infiltrating our camps. Many of us consider the campus our home, and though I realize police have jurisdiction, they should see how things look from our perspective. We feel targeted.
So shame on you, Mr. Pein, for doing absolutely nothing to encourage the Santa Fe community to support our struggling school; for hurting my fellow students and friends. I am sure community members' ideas about our school have been tainted by this gross misrepresentation.
-concerned student
[cont'd]
I was in the room with Karla and I was a witness to the treatment she received by the police and there is no other way to describe it other than illegal. The police incident I was involved in was nothing more than an illegitimate and unwarranted police raid on a party of College of Santa Fe students. This goes to undermine any trust or credibility the police may have had, this is why I agreed to be interviewed by the SF Reporter--I want people to know the truth about what happened that night, and I want the officers involved held accountable for their actions. This article fails to articulate that point, in fact the police statements surround that night are more respected and articulated in this article than my statements or any other student statements of the events of that fateful night. Also Mr. Pein was giving more than sufficient photographs and documentation of both Karla and my injuries and yet failed to print or write any of that information, aside from the few video clips [which we didn't give permission to use] that he chose to include in this online article. Those photos speaks volumes as to the actual events that occurred that night/morning in October.
BTW: I was told that that picture taken of Karla and I would replace our mugshots in this article and nothing was ever mentioned about using that video footage..I want these things taken down and I do not want to be LIED again.
If anyone wants further details or information as to what happened that night please contact me: ajester23@gmail.com
Hello, my name is Cole Wilson, I am a graduate from the college and was quoted in this article briefly, i had alot more to say than what was used, primarily that i was accosted and verbally abused by a santa fe police officer who told me numerous times to "shut the f--- up!" when i tried to engage him in a serious dialogue about my rights as an american citizen. He was very imposing and aggressive and his behaviour was markedly unprofessional. He told me "its dumb f---s like you who make my job so hard". when another police officer arrived on the scene he changed his whole song and dance reverting to a more dismissive, calm and collected demeanor. i was so outraged after the whole ordeal that i went and spoke with a lieutenant to file a complaint about my experience and was later informed that a superior had "spoken" with the officer at fault. i never recieved an apology.
so far as i can gather it is obvious that there are some new officers on the streets who feel that they have something to prove, some need to assert their strength and dominance over others, and they've chosen college students as an easy target. its not hard to scare 18 year old kids a gun on your hip. i was hoping that this article would address the unprofessional and illegal actions perpetrated against college of santa fe students, instead this article reads to me like "the college of santa fe is a disaster". this school may have its debts and faults, but i have always felt that i belonged to a strong, passionate and nurturing community of educators and friends, i feel safe and welcome there. the only times i have questioned that security and assurance has been in the presence of the police. it says department of public safety on those badges, but unfortunately, in some cases, those badges are pinned on thugs and apes. also, who chose that image for this article? this isn't animal house or some other silly college comedy, i thought this article was going to address some real and important issues in our community, and that image is in really bad taste. if anyone wants to discuss this further feel free to email me
cole wilson
Hello,
This is Karla Kerner and I just wanted to state the above footage [taken in our home] was posted without my consent or that of my roommates, and I was repeatedly and unjustly misquoted in the article. It is very important for me to express that the preceding story is a gross misrepresentation of what actually happened I am unimaginally hurt, violated, and horrified. If anyone is interested in the truth about what happened to my friends and me on that night, please email me at moondustie@aol.com. thank you for your time......
-Karla
Guys,
It's always difficult to see one's comments and experiences in print. Corey's job is to tell the story he can discern from a multitude of sources and inputs. It can be very frustrating to feel that one's own viewpoint has not been thoroughly expressed in the journalism process.
I'm sure the police and the college administration could easily feel that their perspective was tempered by your own.
The paper, as a matter of policy, does not make deals about what images it will use and what images it will not. Mug shots are public record. You are free to look up and publish mine, for example.
As to the video, it is content that has been disseminated already. Everyone depicted is an adult. No permissions are required in order to use it.
I sympathize with your frustrations, but I would emphasize that your willingness to tell your story has served an important public good in bringing attention to the way you feel you were treated.
I would encourage you to continue to use this comment board to express your opinions and to elaborate the totality of your experience.
Zane Fischer
Web Editor
Hey,
This is Jes Lester...one of the CSF students mentioned in the article, and I feel it is necessary to say that this article fails in its point. It is not that CSF hasn't protect us [students, alumni, workers, and faculty] from the police, it is the fact that the police are acting as if we are in a police state and that there is NO constitution or bill of rights, and that this is definitely not a free country. Some of the key facts left out of this article is the sheer brutality of the police and the complete disregard for our civil liberties and rights.
I was interviewed by Mr. Pein and I told him repeatedly about the sheer brutality and complete violations of my rights. He mentions that I was heavily intoxicated, but fails to mention that the police threw me into the front door...and shoved me into the ground, into rain puddles and all on the way to the squad car. He never mentions that I was arrested for resisting arrest, and at the same time never told I was under arrest. The facts are: I was unjustly arrested for defending [not physical defense but verbal, passive and calm] my friend who was being beaten and abused by officers of the law. I became a threat to the officers by reaching out my hand and asking them politely and respectfully to stop hurting my friend [Karla], who was screaming in pain and fear, and telling them that they were not allowed to hurt her only to arrest her or let her go. I was handcuffed by several officers and shoved into the front door and out into the rain all because I was alerting the other students in the room to their civil liberties and apparently inciting them to resist this unjust treatment. I was not a threat to the officer or anyone, I was merely using my civil rights of free speech and apparently that is illegal and an arrestable offense.
(cont'd)
*unimaginably
I am a proud member of the College of Santa Fe community. This school has done so much for me --it has inspired me, and given me a wonderful education. Most of all, I call this college home; it is not just a temporary roof over my head so I can hash out four years of higher education. I pour all of my passion and time into caring for this school and in return being cared for by it. Two years ago, I could never have imagined feeling so comfortable and accepted in a place other than the house of my parents. I am so incredibly fortunate to be able to go here. This being said, I feel personally attacked. I feel the integrity of the place I call home has been jeopardized, and I am, to say the least, incredibly distraught and saddened by Corey Pein and his article’s unimaginable distaste and obvious lack of respect for not only the College of Santa Fe, but the Santa Fe Police Department, and the city of Santa Fe itself. It is well-known by many that CSF is in financial trouble, and since the author of the article chose to bring up unrelated items of CSF’s current standings, he unsurprisingly fails to mention all that the college is trying to do to save itself and therefore, save the community of Santa Fe that supports and is supported by the College of Santa Fe. I understand the fact that Corey Pein is trying to make his big Santa Fe break as a new Reporter journalist, and I sympathize for him. After looking around for even a few minutes on the Internet, I was not surprised that this is not the first time that Corey Pein has written poor pieces of journalism. Here are a few quotes from a previous article written on the Metro Spirit Blogspot:
“This very well may have been one of the most blatant displays of disrespect for the security of our service members and Fort Gordon.” –Anonymous
“This article is both poorly written and researched. In addition to being hyperbolic and sensationalist, this article contains several factual errors… In addition to the false assumptions and sloppy research, I also take exception to the fact that the author quotes hearsay… Thank you for advancing your careers and selling newspapers by negating our efforts to protect ourselves and our mission” –‘Karen’
Of course, Corey Pein’s response to this is:
“Actually, our newspaper is free.”
(continued)