Dear members of the Colgate community:
The role that Campus Safety serves is critical to our campus, and we are committed to a Colgate that is a safe and respectful environment for everyone. One of Campus Safety’s priorities is to foster and maintain good relations with members of the Colgate community. I write to update you on Campus Safety’s ongoing progress in improving their outreach and programs and services.
Since the spring of 2015, we have undertaken a series of efforts to enlist feedback from faculty, staff and students about how Campus Safety can continuously improve and meet the needs of all members of our community. Director of Campus Safety Bill Ferguson has participated in brown-bag sessions, individual conversations, and an external review of the department and its practices. We have learned a lot from these initiatives and have developed a strategy for continuous improvement. I would like to highlight a few noteworthy accomplishments to date. As one of several new outreach programs, Campus Safety hired 10 student officers to build relationships with the community they serve. Campus Safety has also modified its event management protocol to a phased staffing approach (proportionate to real-time event attendance), with on-call police only summoned if required in the event of a law enforcement situation. Finally, in the upcoming months, Campus Safety will host a series of listening tours and focus group sessions to hear from members of our community about how these new initiatives are working and to learn more about any ongoing student concerns.
We acknowledge that the job of our Campus Safety officers is often trying and difficult, yet we are committed to improvement where needed. I ask for your support as we further develop our outreach and services and invite you to share helpful suggestions for how we can achieve these aims.
Sincerely,
Suzy M. Nelson
Vice President and Dean of the College