APRIL FOOLS’: This article was published as part of The News-Letter’s annual April Fools’ edition, an attempt at adding some humor to a newspaper that is normally very serious about its reporting. This is not true.
Editor’s Note: This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.
On Saturday, March 29, the Johns Hopkins Police Department (JHPD) carried out its first successful operation, arresting 21 students and detaining four others for attending a social event in the Hopkins Steam Tunnels.
In an interview with The News-Letter, Grant Royce Ouaisted III, who attended the rave but managed to escape, shared his experience of the bust.
“Yeah, man. It was crazy. We were partying it up in here, and all of a sudden these men in blue stormed in and demanded we put our hands up,” he said. “I thought they were the entertainment.”
Ouaisted was unable to provide his major, class year and any other identifying information. He may not have been a Hopkins student.
25 students were taken into custody and held at Hopkins Café, as the JHPD’s installations are still under construction. Students are not expected to remain under custody for long, and the University has expressed its interest in treating this as an internal disciplinary matter. Their detainment has been met with opposition by the Hopkins community, who have previously expressed their disapproval of the policing of campus grounds.
Ouaisted explained that the Steam Tunnel Social is a biweekly event that aims to provide students with an outlet to relax amidst the busy Hopkins schedule. On March 29, the rave began at 11 p.m. and included strobe lights, pool inflatables, and alcohol and drug paraphernalia. Of the approximately 80 attendees, most managed to escape.
Corinna Bee-Hyne Bärs emphasized her anger at the JHPD’s actions during the event in an interview with The News-Letter. She shared that the rave was only advertised on Sidechat and on the Gilman Tunnel cork boards.
“It feels like an invasion of privacy. Although the University’s memorandum on student conduct doesn’t explicitly contain a right to privacy, I expected the JHPD to respect the rights of Hopkins students,” she said. “Plus, aren’t people getting robbed like every week? Have they checked that out yet? Why are they investigating us?”
An undercover News-Letter operation found out that the JHPD learned about the rave when an officer decided to utilize the student bathrooms in Remsen Hall, as the staff bathrooms remain under construction.
Construction seems to have contributed to this situation in more ways than one. In interviews with The News-Letter, students expressed their disappointment with campus construction and the resulting lack of social spaces.
“There’s nowhere else to go: no library, no student center,” said freshman Albeye Ma-Çelve. “I’m a freshman, where are we supposed to hang with other students? Remsen 101?”
She emphasized this lack of social space as the key contributor toward students choosing to gather in the Steam Tunnels.
Senior Gemi Ôute, who attended Hopkins during the COVID-19 pandemic, echoed Ma-Çelve’s argument.
“There were more social opportunities here at Hopkins during the pandemic than there are now,” she said. “I yearn for the times of the plague.”
In contrast, Ouaisted provided an alternate explanation for attending the rave.
“The frats have been so mid this year, and let’s be honest, I don’t have five female friends that I can use to get in,” he said.
In an email to The News-Letter, Yuz Liss, Vice President of Student Social Affairs emphasized the administration’s commitment to fostering socialization on campus.
“The administration is committed to creating new social spaces,” she wrote. “We are adding three additional tables to the Brody Terrace and are currently forming a committee to appoint members to the Student Social Health Advisory Board. We anticipate the Board will meet yearly.”
In an interview with The News-Letter, Dafun P’Olis, Media Representative for the JHPD, provided insight into the department’s actions.
“The JHPD is proud to have made our first arrests; it’s only a shame they had to be our own students,” he explained, “The department continues to be committed to our founding principle of limiting the increase in crime to 25% a year.”
P’Olis declined to comment on whether the JHPD will take any measures to prevent another episode in the Steam Tunnels. However, he did shine light on the Department’s recent failures to respond to crime around the Charles Village area.
Specifically, when asked about the robberies on Art Museum Drive, Mr. P’Olis said “What the fuck does that have to do with us?”
