Does anyone else remember when going off to college was a liberating time? No more. What kind of learning environment will this show of force engender?

Police are out in force on the “Hill” — the area across from campus where many students live. SWAT teams are on alert for any replay of past riots. Over the weekend, Boulder police wrote nearly 50 alcohol-related tickets and six “nuisance-party” citations. Officers also seized a couple kegs. The police department plans to have more officers on patrol — by foot and car — in neighborhoods around CU.

This kind of repressive atmosphere will destroy CU. College should be a time when kids are free to explore, experiment and discover their limits on their own. They won’t learn limits from cops forcing it on them. They will only learn to distrust authority.