On September 21, an unfamiliar “special events” vendor was seen walking into academic buildings on the south side of campus. He approached multiple students as classes were occurring in these buildings to sell tickets for a comedy club located in New York. While some students may have believed that he was associated with Stevens, he was advertising and selling on campus without permission from the university.
Around midday on the 21st, the man was reported by some students to be seen in Kidde Room 228 before the beginning of a Circuits and System Lecture. Student Itai Geller observed that “the guy announced that he was selling tickets and explained what they were for before being stopped by the professor since it was cutting into class time.” Additional reports said that the same man was entering lecture halls, including Kidde 228 and Babbio Center Room 122 before and after lectures to sell tickets to the New York Comedy Club, with many students making purchases. At least one student notified Campus Police of the presence of this person. Timothy Griffin, Chief of Police of Stevens Campus Police, reported that “Campus Police quickly located the individual and identified him” as a male resident of Hoboken in his mid-30s. Following this, the person was “issued a Defiant Trespass Warning and told that he could be arrested if he attempts to enter any campus buildings in the future without first seeking permission,” as stated by Chief Griffin.
One of the main issues with all of this is that outside advertising without permission is not allowed on the Stevens campus. Typically, one may see student-run clubs and organizations fundraising or setting up stands on campus. However, according to the Stevens’ Guidelines for Assemblies on Stevens Institute of Technology Campus, “Members of the Public Planning such an assembly” is to be considered a “‘Requesting Party’” and can only engage in such activities “with the express consent of the Division of Student Affairs and Stevens Campus Police.”
In regards to the access to buildings, there will be no changes. Currently, each dorm requires ID access in order to enter, and for the UCC towers, all visitors must be signed in. While academic buildings are open to access during the day while classes or open events occur, issues similar to this are uncommon, so altering the current open campus policy is not necessary, according to Campus Police.
If you are someone who bought one or more of these tickets, rest assured, these tickets are legitimate. After tracking down one of these tickets that were sold, the phone number on the ticket was matched to the New York Comedy Club phone number on their website. When the number was called, the receiver of the call, a worker for the New York Comedy Club, stated that “the Monetary Marketing tickets would be accepted” and “would work for any show except for some surprise headliners and prime-time comedy.”
For the future, it is recommended that students be wary of possible scams and unpermitted intruders on campus. The Campus Police monitors for intruders on campus using CCTV Camera systems and physical patrols, but also rely on all members of the Stevens community to help keep the campus safe and secure. Chief Griffin and the Campus Police ask that “students, faculty and staff report anyone that looks suspicious or appears to be engaging in prohibited activities” to the Campus Police Desk at 201-216-3911 or to a patrolling officer in the area. In addition, they ask members of the Stevens community to “not confront someone who looks as though they do not belong in a building, or if they are acting suspiciously” but to report them to campus police with “a physical and clothing description as well as where they were last seen.”
