OPS RES LIFE WORK GROUP

Meeting Minutes

October 25, 2016

Present:Lance Clark, Maggie Wetter Tom Dunn,Grace Heneghan,James Yoon, Leo Kleiman-Lynch, Andrew Kosinuk,Hakeem Hopper-Collins and Mayra Colon
Absent:Linda Koenig,Darnell Thompson
Guests
Terri Stewart provided information about Public Safety initiatives
Martin Petrella provided information about Residential lifeinitiatives
  1. Announcements
  2. Thank you for all the work that was put into the committee last semester
  3. Two references: Public Safety website lists initiative from last year and intercom notice from September that speaks to progress of initiatives housed under public safety
  4. Public Safety Website info: Once on main page, go to Diversity, Engagement and Inclusion on the right. The goals listed there went into play spring of 2015 after being discussed by the whole safety team.
  5. On the first page there is a three prong – those are the overarching goals
  6. Second column (A through D) is largely developed with HR, our staff and students in work group, based off of the three prong goals
  7. Far on the right is the progress and update on initiatives
  8. Review of Current Initiatives
  9. Body Worn Cameras have been purchased and over the summer officers have received both hardware and software training on how to use and secure data on them.
  10. Policy associated is almost done. There has been a scorecard markup of policy against standards. Have been working with the Office of General Council to compare our policy to theirs as well as other law enforcement agencies. The policy is under review but should be done fall of 2016. Then next steps would be to come to this committee and then to the public safety team for review and comment.
  11. There will be an open forum before the cameras are implemented and deployed for community members
  12. Community review board policy has already been reviewed by this committee, senior administration fine-tuned it and then from there it is currently engaged in effects bargaining. Effects bargaining is when the college implements a policy or procedure that has a significant impact on an officer’s duty we have to allow them to negotiate.
  13. Process is slow, but is coming along at a good pace. They have been having a hard time actually meeting about it so they have been going back and forth on email. There are two meetings scheduled and another one pending.
  14. Have been working on a flow chart regarding the process of the CRB such as how do you file a claim with the CRB, who takes the complaint or claim when you take it and following it all the way through to the decision points.
  15. Are not going to rush through just to meet the deadline. It is more important to get it right than to meet the deadline.
  16. Independent external review of public safety – they will be coming into the office November 7 through 10 and will be on campus with us
  17. There will be open forums for both students and faculty
  18. Student forum is Tuesday 11/8 from 12pm to 1:05pm in Emerson Suite B
  19. Faculty and staff forum is Thursday 11/10 from 12pm to 1:05pm in Emerson Suite B
  20. They will be looking at policy, practices and systems that the office of public safety has in place and finding how we can improve
  21. Policy on fair and impartial policing, training and some of the other early warning prevention systems are going to be put on hold until the evaluation is complete and then they can be made department wide
  22. Satellite Office
  23. Location is detrimental to positive interactions with students. The satellite office will give us a better location to have interactions with students.
  24. The new location is in the campus center. This will allow the office to be more visible and engage with students.
  25. Should students staff the satellite office?
  26. Yes, we would like to do that because it might not be possible to always have an officer there and students are more approachable
  27. There was a survey regarding the hours of the office
  28. It will be open in four hour blocks and according to the survey 10pm until 2pm seems to be the best time.
  29. Big grand opening for the office in December
  30. Ideas that were thrown out there include getting different places across the campus to come and get involved or having smoothies and raffles
  31. Need to come up with an idea that attracts students and gets people involved so that they know about the opening of the office
  32. Want to build up to the point where the satellite office can do the same things as the main office with regards to work and interviews
  33. Would like this committee to help out with the kickoff
  34. Questions?
  35. How did they come up with 10-2 time? The survey showed that’s when students preferred it
  36. Evening hours? Need to consider the resources to have the office open. Want to make sure there is enough staff and to be open when we say we are going to be
  37. Goals for this year
  38. Trainingand professional development
  39. Staff needs to attend two diversity, social justice related sessions every semester
  40. Diversity curriculum – in the process of assessing trainings and improving
  41. Reviewing feedback from combined OPS/RESLIFE training session
  42. Want to implement a new learning community in the upper res halls for the African Diaspora. Potentially in Emerson Hall, only concern is that Emerson is a more expensive place to live
  43. Want to hire more racially diverse candidates into the RD position. In the last few years, we have promoted the fact that we are looking for a more racially diverse staff. We have been changing interview practices and broadening our search. Successfully hiring and retaining is a big problem.
  44. We are losing candidates to institutions areas different from Ithaca and that pay more money