USG explores student security

USG members discussed campus security issues with top Public Safety officials last night at a USG Senate meeting held at Public Safety headquarters at 200 Elm Drive. The representatives from Public Safety included Jim Lanzi, a community partnership initiative representative and Fire Marshall Bob Gregory.

The first part of the discussion included an explanation of Public Safety's typical duties and the importance of its new headquarters.

"This building is a big deal for us ... this is kind of part of the professionalization of Public Safety," Lanzi said. Facilities such as a state-of-the-art communications center have helped Public Safety deal with emergency situations including the power outages earlier this year. Prior to moving to 200 Elm Drive, Public Safety operated out of Stanhope Hall.

The officers also answered questions that USG members raised about lockout response speed, P-Rides efficiency, grilling and cookout regulations, party patrolling and the relationship between the Borough Police and Public Safety. Members also asked questions about fire inspections, fines and door-locking policies.

Lanzi and others fielded the questions and urged increased involvement of students in advising Public Safety decisions.

"Honesty and cooperation are the best policies. If you are cooperative and honest, and you come forward and accept responsibility, things go a lot easier for not only you but also us," Lanzi said.

Though the officials had few conclusive answers to the students' concerns, they clarified policies and encouraged members with complaints to continue to pursue them through involvement in the Public Safety Advisory Committee, an organization that will meet on a monthly basis to discuss the revision and application of Public Safety policies.

Specifically, Gregory said he would welcome suggestions from students who are interested in revised cookout policies that would ease the process of hosting barbecues on campus.

"If you as the student government want to revise this policy, I would be open to sitting down with you guys, Dining Services and whoever to make sure that you can do what you want to do," Gregory said.

In addition to the question and answer session with Public Safety, USG members discussed the progress of USG DVD and MD Thursdays, which were launched last week.

USG DVD coordinator Sarah Langberg '09 said the DVD opening was a "lukewarm success ... we are trying to make back the capital, and it will probably come back quite quickly."

MD Thursdays had a stronger opening. The first event was a "huge success, we had over 100 people, the band played and the food was great," organizer Veneka Chagwedera '09 said.

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"We got a lot of feedback," Chagwedera said. In the future, the organizers are planning to divide the event into two sections, one for socializing and another that has more of a party atmosphere.

The USG members also debated extensively the approval of an expanded budget for the annual dodgeball tournament. The event organizers approached the USG Projects Board this week to request additional funds. The decision was eventually approved, but the USG plans to contact the organizers with several suggestions for ways to decrease expenses.

USG president Rob Biederman '08 also announced plans to have a major University administrator present at each future USG meeting. He hopes that representatives such as Undergraduate Housing Manager Angela Hodgeman and President Tilghman will accept invitations to come to these meetings, he said in an email.