Banned list raises questions of privacy, disclosure

So the University of Northern Colorado's Police Department opened up a persona non grata Web site complete with a collection of mugs, each a timeless blip of a troublemaker in their prime.

Each of these characters is an effective exile from UNC. With the likes of Mitch Cozad, who police have accused of stabbing a fellow teammate, making an appearance, it's easy enough to understand why the identities of these individuals have been revealed. But therein lies trouble - we know who they are, but we have no idea what these people did.

Honestly, the chance of every one of these individuals being a genuine threat toward the life and liberty of UNC students is unlikely.

So what are they on the Web site for? Snatching mugs from Tobey Kendall? Sneaking in hidden post-its during a major exam? Plagiarism? Excessive PDA at 10th Avenue and 20th Street?

The deal is that until we are informed as to what these individuals have been restricted for, there is no reason to take these statements and bans seriously. Until we are informed of their actions, their being named as individuals unwelcome to campus is merely hearsay.

We also have no means to gauge what kinds of activities are worthy of being banned from campus. Even more troubling is the idea of the next step in unfounded conservative safety measures, that authorities might start naming suspicious yet legally innocent individuals around campus in the name of pre-emptive security.

To be truthful, UNC's police department is well intentioned in their new digital effort toward campus safety. Yet, this endeavor screams for a bit of house cleaning if authorities are going to stick with the formation of this new "Ban Family" concept. Somebody call Alice the maid.