Campus Security

Campus Security at the University of Maine at Orono serves as the university's police force, responsible for responding to emergencies, investigating incidents, and liaising with external law enforcement. Its most prominent appearance in the narrative occurs on Louis Creed's first day as director of the Student Medical Center, when a student, Victor Pascow, is brought in mortally wounded after being struck by a car. The force's actions in the immediate aftermath of the accident, and its role in the subsequent press conference and legal proceedings, highlight the institutional mechanisms that come into play when sudden death occurs on a university campus.

Response to Victor Pascow's Death

When Victor Pascow is carried into the infirmary with a crushed skull and broken neck, Louis Creed, realizing the ambulance is out of service, orders Joan Charlton to call Campus Security instead of waiting for the Eastern Maine Medical Center's ambulance. He reasons that if necessary, the fire engines can transport the dying student to Bangor. Two Campus Security officers arrive shortly after Pascow dies. One of them confirms the victim's identity, stating, "Victor Pascow, according to the girl he was jogging with." Louis then officially pronounces the time of death at 10:09 A.M. The officers are present as the room fills with chaos—a candy-striper vomits, a phone rings, and Pascow's fiancée screams his name. One officer asks Charlton for a blanket to cover the body, and she hesitates, unsure of her authority to requisition one. Louis takes command, ordering her to give the blanket anyway. The older officer, who appears more composed, later assists Louis in making the necessary notifications, telling him, "We haven't had one of these in six years. It's a bad way to start the semester."

Press Conference and Legal Proceedings

Later that afternoon, Louis and Richard Irving, the head of Campus Security, hold a press conference to brief the media on the accident. They explain that Pascow was jogging with two friends, including his fiancée, when a car driven by Tremont Withers, twenty-three, of Haven, Maine, struck him and drove him head-first into a tree. Withers is being held pending charges of reckless driving, driving under the influence, and vehicular manslaughter. When the editor of the campus newspaper asks if the four young people who brought Pascow to the infirmary in a blanket might have inadvertently caused his death, Louis replies that Pascow was, in his opinion, "mortally wounded upon being struck." This answer effectively ends the press conference. The involvement of Campus Security in managing the public narrative and coordinating with the legal system demonstrates its role as the bridge between the university community and the broader criminal justice apparatus.

Institutional Role and Limits

Campus Security's function is primarily reactive and procedural. It does not investigate the supernatural elements of Pascow's death—the dying man's cryptic warnings to Louis about the Pet Sematary and the Micmac burying ground—nor does it offer any explanation for the inexplicable. Its officers are present to restore order, gather facts, and facilitate the official process. The force's presence underscores the gap between the rational, bureaucratic response to death and the irrational, traumatic experience of those who witness it. Louis, as a doctor, is expected to manage the medical crisis, but it is Campus Security that handles the legal and public relations fallout, highlighting the institutional limits of medical authority when faced with a death that defies both professional competence and rational understanding.