University of Iowa students and the UI police are excited about playing each other on intramural sports teams.
By Wylliam Smith
In an effort to create a sense of community among the University of Iowa police and students, Scott Beckner, the new assistant vice president for Public Safety, has decided to set up intramural sports teams for the department.
“I have always tried to encourage departments I’ve led to seek out opportunities to connect with their communities,” he said. “And participating in intramural sports leagues is a great way for our officers to connect with the student population.”
Beckner said the intramural teams provide opportunities for officers to bond with students in their “comfort zones,” which could allow for better communication and “growth.”
Sgt. Bradley Schramm, the head of the UI police intramural teams, said his role is to try to get the officers engaged by doing activities with students.
He said he is happy with the creation of the new police intramural teams, noting that it helps connect the officers with students.
“It’s great, just getting out and meeting [students],” he said. “We’ve done flag football now, sand volleyball, softball, kickball, and every group that we meet are just a lot of students having fun.”
Schramm doesn’t just sit the sidelines and manage the teams — he also participates. As the center for the police’s flag football team, called You’ve Been Served, Schramm gets to experience firsthand what it is like playing these various sports with students.
“It’s fun; it’s a good time,” he said. “You know to be a police officer and … an old man I guess, 40 years old you know, coming out here and playing with the students, it’s fun.”
On Monday, You Been Served got served by a student team called Sweet Baby Ray’s: The Founders of the Sauce in an intense game of flag football.
“Honestly, when I found we were playing a cop team, I wanted to win 10 times more than I’ve ever wanted to win before in my life,” said UI student Derrick Johnson, a member of Sweet Baby Ray’s. “You can lose some, but if you can say, ‘I beat a cop team’ as a college student … it’s even sweeter.”
While Johnson poked fun at the “cop team,” he and the other members of Sweet Baby Ray’s agreed they like the idea of the police joining the intramural sports program.
“I thought it was pretty cool that they’re older and still coming out here playing everybody else,” UI student Jakob Freeman said.
Johnson said playing with the officers humanizes them. In a sense, he said, it lets the students know “they’re people, too.”
“You know, you play ’em, and you realize that they’re normal, everyday guys who just put their lives on the line every day for us, but at the end of the day, they’re still like us, and they like to have fun,” said UI student Mike Tagliamonte, the quarterback of Sweet Baby Ray’s.
The police intramural program doesn’t just bridge the gap between student and police, Schramm said, it helps improve bonds among the officers.
“Getting us all together, a lot of guys work a night shift, evening shift, day shift, some of them you don’t get to interact with,” he said. “Doing intramurals, we come together as a team, and come out here, and get to form that camaraderie.”
This is the first year the UI police have had an intramural team, and Schramm said he hopes it comes back for years to come.
“I sure hope this is something that sticks around,” he said. “I believe our director, Beckner, he’s on board with it. He really wants it to continue. I’d like to see it continue; I think the officers would like to see it, so yeah.”
Beckner said he is continually exploring new avenues to build relationships with students and foster trust between the two groups.
“I think as sweet as it is for us to say they’re cops, it’s equally as sweet for them to say we’re college students,” said UI student Jeff Griffin.
