By Benjamin Engle
Today, Thursday, January 14, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will be giving a lecture in Memorial Chapel at Union College. Olmert is the first head of state to visit Union, according to the Schenectady Gazette, since former British Prime Minister Harold Wilson's visit in 1967.
The event, which is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., will only be open to the campus community, plus one guest per Union College ID cardholder. The doors will open at 5:45 p.m.
According to a campus-wide email sent on January 8 by Vice President of Student Affairs and Dean of Students Stephen Leavitt, Campus Safety personnel will be checking IDs at the entrance and those without college ID will be required to show a driver's license or passport, as well as be accompanied by someone with a Union ID card.
Olmert, who is sponsored by Union's Speakers Forum club, is visiting the campus despite being a controversial figure around the world. His detractors allege that the Prime Minister and his government committed war crimes against the Palestinian people.?Meanwhile, his supporters are equally passionate in their assertion that his actions and those of his government were taken in the defense of their country.
"We thought this opportunity was too amazing to pass up," said Will Friedman, '10, President of Speakers Forum. "Unlike other world leaders, Olmert does not require to see his questions in advance. He has been a very controversial leader and I thought this could be a very good opportunity for students and faculty to ask him about some of his actions while in office.
Olmert, the twelfth Prime Minister of the State of Israel, became the acting Prime Minister on January 5, 2006, but stepped down as Prime Minister and leader of the Kadima Party in 2008 under pressure over numerous corruption investigations.
While indicted for three counts of corruption, Olmert has pled not guilty at the Jerusalem District Court to charges of illegally accepting funds from an American supporter and double-billing Jewish groups for trips abroad. He has also been blamed for inappropriately handling the 2006 war with Hezbollah in Lebanon and attacks in the Gaza Strip.
As a result of Olmert's controversial history, many students and faculty on campus are against the former Prime Minister's visit.
Presented to Speakers Forum on September 29th by Friedman, an offer to Olmert was verbally agreed to on October 8th.
According to Dean Leavitt, two faculty members, Professors Motahar and Loeb, first approached Leavitt to discuss the terms of Olmert's talk. The meeting, which took place November 23rd, resulted in the discussion of the conditions on which the former Prime Minister was coming to campus. The two professors suggested that Friedman consult with Speakers Forum to consider bringing in speakers with contrary points of view.
"Some people who oppose Prime Minister Olmert have reached out to me regarding their hope that Speakers Forum would follow this event by inviting a Palestinian speaker," Friedman said. "I have not discussed any specifics about that just yet with my club, but I plan on bringing that up at the next meeting."
However, after Leavitt's meeting with Motahar, Loeb, and Friedman, Leavitt received a letter from nine faculty members opposing Olmert's visit to Union. The group, who according to Leavitt, had issues with bringing in someone who was morally offensive to them, met with Leavitt on December, 11th.
"The group outlined their concerns and I listened to them," Leavitt stated. "I was sympathetic to the fact that they would be genuinely hurt if he came to campus."
Leavitt understood that the group had a real moral issue with Olmert's visit and that they would feel violated by the college.
Computer Science Professor Valerie Barr, a faculty member who has a moral issue with the visit, was part of the group who contacted Leavitt, as well as Union College President Stephen Ainlay to express her objections.
"I am against Ehud Olmert coming to Union. I believe in free speech and free exchange of ideas, and I am not opposed to Union inviting a speaker who would present a Zionist perspective. However, I think Olmert is a very bad choice for the college," Barr stated.
While Barr "was raised with unquestioning support for Israel and all its actions," she would rather see Union be in the news for inviting a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, such as former United States President Jimmy Carter rather than Olmert.
In addition to complaints by professors, students, such as Omar Hassib '11, have been critical of Union's administration for allowing Olmert's visit to campus.
"Olmert's visit is huge for Union College. To the layman mind, one would think that the visit would be ok, however, there is the underlying issue of the man himself and his decisions while in office," Hassib said. "By paying him, on top of inviting him, Union is now supporting him and his defense fund."
Hassib believes that the event was scheduled on January 14 because protests would be limited since other nearby campuses are not yet in session and the potential for poor weather conditions. However, according to Friedman, the date was not chosen for any particular reason other than the fact that Memorial Chapel was available and the date worked with Olmert's travel schedule.
As the Concordiensis went to press, a petition urging the Union Administration that the event be cancelled began to circulate through an email.
"We reject the argument that Mr. Olmert's visit is simply that of a 'controversial' individual. We reject the logic that validates such a position, and hold it to be irrational and inconsistent with the intellectual climate we hope to create," the petition stated. "Mr. Olmert's appearance at Union does not contribute to the free exchange of ideas."
Despite the moral controversy emerging on campus, Leavitt realized the problem of security at the event would be an issue in having Olmert give his lecture at Union.
"I learned about Olmert's history of speeches at other schools and the significant security concerns that the other schools dealt with," Leavitt said.
During the former Prime Minister's time in the United States, he has given lectures at various colleges and universities including the University of Chicago, University of Arkansas, University of Kentucky, and Tulane University. Each visit has brought numerous protesters to each respective campus.
After Leavitt's meeting with the professors opposing the former Prime Minister's visit, Leavitt discussed the security concerns with Chris Hayen, Director of Campus Safety on December 16. As a result of Hayen's conversations with the FBI and Secret Service, Leavitt made the decision to cancel Olmert's visit.
"Olmert's people wouldn't tell [Hayen] the necessary security measures until 2 days before the event, which made him uncomfortable," Leavitt said.
Although President Ainlay was traveling during Leavitt's conversations with Campus Safety, according to Leavitt, he was kept briefed on the issue.
"The President was concerned about security and wanted the campus to be safe," Leavitt said.
On December 18, Leavitt broke the news that the event was cancelled to the committee of administrators, faculty, and students who were planning the event. Because Leavitt had not signed a contract with Olmert's agent, the College's attorney told Leavitt that it was legal to cancel the invitation.
Stephen Berk, the Henry and Sally Schaffer Professor of Holocaust and Jewish Studies, a member of the organizing committee, was upset at the decision of Leavitt to cancel.
"It is always important when high ranking officials of an important country that is closely tied with the United States and involved in one of the world's greatest conflicts comes to speak, people can hear the views of himself and his country," Berk said.
Berk believes that free speech is important and if it can't be on a university campus, it can't be observed anywhere.
"Union has a long record of hosting controversial speakers, and I hope that continues in the present," Berk added.
According to the Union College Encyclopedia, many invitations have been given by the College's International Relations Club to controversial speakers, including German-American Bund leader Fritz Kuhn, a well-known Nazi agitator, in 1937; Owen Lattimore, a scholar whom Senator McCarthy called "the top Soviet espionage agent in the United States," in 1950; American communist Herbert Aptheker in 1964; and Arab League spokesman Clovis Maksoud in 1984.
However, after the decision to cancel the visit was made, President Ainlay called Leavitt to make sure that this was the correct action to take. After speaking to campus safety officials at other universities where Olmert had spoken, Hayen compiled a safety report. Based on the report, Leavitt determined that the logistics of bringing Olmert to campus were possible to handle and notified President Ainlay of this knowledge.
The final decision to not cancel the event, according to Leavitt, was decided by himself and President Ainlay.
Hayen believes the Campus Safety Department is prepared for the Prime Minister's visit. Leavitt says that the campus is prepared for demonstrators and that there will be a special area set up for that purpose across from the venue.
"I believe we have done a thorough job and will provide a safe environment on behalf of the Speakers Forum for this student-sponsored event," Hayen said. "Our goals will be to preserve the continuity of essential college functions, continue the goal of Union College in providing for a liberal education that is best attained as one learns about other cultures and one's own, and provide a secure venue for positive programming that strives toward a better understanding about the situation in Israel."
Due of the sensitive nature of the event, Hayen did not want to release specific security information. However, a campus-wide email by Leavitt stated that metal detectors will be posted at the entrance of Memorial Chapel. Speakers Forum will not be paying for security measures for the event.
In advance of the Prime Minster's visit, on Tuesday, Hillel hosted a conversation on Israel with Professor Berk and on Wednesday, Campus Action hosted "Day of Dialogue: Ehud Olmert and the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict," a panel discussion made up of Professor Berk, Professor Feffer, and Professor Tadros.
According to Campus Action President, [Campus Action President Name Redacted] '11, the organization is not anti-Israel or pro-Palestine, but exists to present education to the campus. Outside of the club, however, [Campus Action President Name Redacted] predicts demonstrations will take place.
"Campus Action does not support any disruptive actions during the speech," [Campus Action President Name Redacted] said. "I do predict there will be individuals who will do this. There will be demonstrations outside, but they have the right to present their thoughts."
[Campus Action President Name Redacted], who believed that it was not Campus Action's mission to take sides and therefore will not distribute information at the event, believes that people outside of the group will distribute pamphlets to help facilitate discussion.
"By not organizing everyone into a group such as Campus Action, they are free to act on their own beliefs and not obligated to adhere to a collective message," added [Campus Action President Name Redacted].
While the event will take place, Leavitt, who will be attending the lecture, admits that he did not handle the situation well.
"I would apologize to those hurt," Leavitt said. "Feelings will be hurt by bringing in controversial speakers."
Going forward, Leavitt plans to create a set of procedures to decide who comes to campus to talk through issues such as morals and security.
"There is a strong emphasis at Union to foster free speech, it is everything the whole academy is based on" Leavitt commented. "People are free to protest, but people also have the right to speak. It is a slippery slope when you just start canceling things."
Friedman, despite the controversial decision to invite Olmert to campus, stands by his decision 100%, "If Speakers Forum did not bring controversial speakers to campus, then I would not be doing my job."
As of going to press, the details of the Question-and-Answer portion of the lecture had not been finalized.
"I am truly sorry that people are upset with my club for deciding to invite Prime Minister Olmert to Union," Friedman added. "That being said, I encourage everyone who is upset to come listen to Olmert's speech and then submit a question challenging him on some of his actions throughout his term in Israel."
Originally published in Union College's Concordy on 1/14/10. Original article archived at Concordy.com & Union College Schaffer Library.
Note: The Campus Action President's name was redacted upon personal 2014 request.
Showing posts with label Campus Safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Campus Safety. Show all posts
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Opinion: We Are Union!
By Benjamin Engle
"You are Union." Those are the simple words that are plastered on the light posts when you enter the main entrance of Union College.
Union cares about its students. It is a fact that the college gives its students a wide variety of opportunities to take leadership roles on campus, direct the future of the College, as well as create the culture of the campus. We see this through the numerous committees on campus, the unique Minerva House Program, and clubs that are consistently active from one academic year to the other.
But sometimes, certain actions and policies make me scratch my head. One of those policies was brought to my attention on the evening of Thursday, April 16th.
While eating dinner and playing trivia at a local restaurant and pub, one of my friends got a text message from a friend on campus that a shooting had occurred just off campus. We have all heard and read about the horror stories at other schools (Virginia Tech is a prominent one) and in today's age, the seven of us were interested in the details and were worried that it concerned a Union student.
While we soon learned that it did not involve any Union students, we decided to call Campus Safety because we had walked to the restaurant and needed to know whether we were safe walking back. We felt confident that Campus Safety would be of assistance in getting us back to Union because of the shooting that had taken place. However, it seems that we shouldn't have called Campus Safety because they told us that they were not going to give us a ride back to school and that they don't pick up from bars.
While they said the situation was under control, I still couldn't believe that Campus Safety did not offer any safe way to return to campus. Sure, we were a group of seven walking back to campus together, but that did not make up for the fact that we were walking in the streets of Schenectady (which really isn't a bad city and too often receives an unfair reputation from Union students) after a shooting.
However, the fact that Campus Safety wouldn't help us, especially because we were at a restaurant and pub is shocking. If that is a real policy (I couldn't find it on their website), then it is a very discouraging one.
We felt that we were being responsible by calling them. I won't say that they were judging us because we were calling from an establishment that serves alcohol, but we were not drinking. We were doing what Union suggests: explore your community, interact with Schenectady, and enjoy your friends.
On the Union College Campus Safety Website, it states, "Campus safety and security is a shared responsibility. There are many things that you can do to make the campus community safer. No campus safety department can function effectively without the concerted assistance of the community it serves. If you are careful, your time at Union will be safer." We did our part by calling, but where was Campus Safety?
After Campus Safety told us that they couldn't help us, we decided to walk back to school, albeit in a more vigilant fashion. It was impossible to walk back and feel safe doing so. Luckily, as we were walking back to Campus, we noticed a Campus Trolley stopped at a stoplight. Once we got his attention, the driver pulled over and did not ask any questions-he simply drove us back to campus. There wasn't a "T" sign anywhere near where we were and the driver did not have to stop. I regret not getting the driver's name, but thank you sir for stopping.
I am not sure why Campus Safety couldn't have directed the trolley in our direction if they were already out. Maybe that would have been too simple.
Sure, Campus Safety sometimes gets an unfair reputation from Union students, but that night I felt like Campus Safety was really letting me down.
Why can't we work together? We are all Union. Let's act like it.
Originally published in Union's Concordy on 4/23/09
"You are Union." Those are the simple words that are plastered on the light posts when you enter the main entrance of Union College.
Union cares about its students. It is a fact that the college gives its students a wide variety of opportunities to take leadership roles on campus, direct the future of the College, as well as create the culture of the campus. We see this through the numerous committees on campus, the unique Minerva House Program, and clubs that are consistently active from one academic year to the other.
But sometimes, certain actions and policies make me scratch my head. One of those policies was brought to my attention on the evening of Thursday, April 16th.
While eating dinner and playing trivia at a local restaurant and pub, one of my friends got a text message from a friend on campus that a shooting had occurred just off campus. We have all heard and read about the horror stories at other schools (Virginia Tech is a prominent one) and in today's age, the seven of us were interested in the details and were worried that it concerned a Union student.
While we soon learned that it did not involve any Union students, we decided to call Campus Safety because we had walked to the restaurant and needed to know whether we were safe walking back. We felt confident that Campus Safety would be of assistance in getting us back to Union because of the shooting that had taken place. However, it seems that we shouldn't have called Campus Safety because they told us that they were not going to give us a ride back to school and that they don't pick up from bars.
While they said the situation was under control, I still couldn't believe that Campus Safety did not offer any safe way to return to campus. Sure, we were a group of seven walking back to campus together, but that did not make up for the fact that we were walking in the streets of Schenectady (which really isn't a bad city and too often receives an unfair reputation from Union students) after a shooting.
However, the fact that Campus Safety wouldn't help us, especially because we were at a restaurant and pub is shocking. If that is a real policy (I couldn't find it on their website), then it is a very discouraging one.
We felt that we were being responsible by calling them. I won't say that they were judging us because we were calling from an establishment that serves alcohol, but we were not drinking. We were doing what Union suggests: explore your community, interact with Schenectady, and enjoy your friends.
On the Union College Campus Safety Website, it states, "Campus safety and security is a shared responsibility. There are many things that you can do to make the campus community safer. No campus safety department can function effectively without the concerted assistance of the community it serves. If you are careful, your time at Union will be safer." We did our part by calling, but where was Campus Safety?
After Campus Safety told us that they couldn't help us, we decided to walk back to school, albeit in a more vigilant fashion. It was impossible to walk back and feel safe doing so. Luckily, as we were walking back to Campus, we noticed a Campus Trolley stopped at a stoplight. Once we got his attention, the driver pulled over and did not ask any questions-he simply drove us back to campus. There wasn't a "T" sign anywhere near where we were and the driver did not have to stop. I regret not getting the driver's name, but thank you sir for stopping.
I am not sure why Campus Safety couldn't have directed the trolley in our direction if they were already out. Maybe that would have been too simple.
Sure, Campus Safety sometimes gets an unfair reputation from Union students, but that night I felt like Campus Safety was really letting me down.
Why can't we work together? We are all Union. Let's act like it.
Originally published in Union's Concordy on 4/23/09
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Campus vandalism on the decline
Benjamin Engle
Despite recent acts of violence at Wold House and Psi Upsilon, vandalism has been slowly declining across the Union campus.
According data provided by the Facilities Services Department, both the number of incidents and money spent to repair vandalism damages has fallen since the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
In 2004-2005, Facilities Services spent approximately $101,000 on vandalism repairs across the campus. However, vandalism expenses were down to $72,000 in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Director of Facilities and Planning, Loren Rucinski believes that the most vandalism, which as defined in the Union College Handbook as the “intentional or reckless destruction of college or private property,” occurs in the independent residence halls, particularly the freshmen halls of Davidson, West, and Richmond, which have been subjected to students tearing posters, signs, and bulletin boards down.
However, Rucinski believes that drop in vandalism during the past four years is continuing: “In general, the vandalism has been decreasing over the past 4 years and this year so far looks like it will be below [previous years], which would be great.”
Rucinski credits the active work of the Residential Life staff for the decrease in the number of vandalism reports in the independent housing on campus.
“I think that Residence Life has been doing a good job trying to get the message across with appropriate billing,” Rucinski added.
Joe Melendez, Residence Director of Davidson and Webster Halls, believes that vandalism has a rollercoaster affect in the sense that it comes in waves. According to Melendez, in addition to bulletin boards, ceiling tiles, exit signs, walls, and hallway lights are primary targets of vandalism in residence halls.
In order to prevent these types of crimes, Melendez and the rest of the residential life staff continually work to build a positive community and inform their respective communities of the consequences associated with destruction of property.
Matt Goodrich, a Resident Advisor in Davidson Hall used a unique strategy to combat vandalism and destructive actions on his floor after a weekend that resulted in the destruction of numerous ceiling tiles as well as the bulletin board. Instead of listing the ways the college tries to prevent vandalism, Goodrich asked his residents to write on the bulletin board ways to “keep the floor clean.”
Michael Jacobson (’12), resident of Goodrich’s floor, believes that the bulletin board was effective in reducing the violent acts of vandalism on his floor, “Matt works hard to build a tight-knit community and it is a direct insult to him when people tear down his boards. It is frustrating to walk in the hallway after a Friday or Saturday night and see my home at Union destroyed, usually by people who don’t even live there.”
In addition to vandalism decreasing in the residence halls, Minerva Houses have seen significant decreases in acts of property destruction. The most recent act of destruction that has occurred, according to the Office of Minerva Programs, was the destruction of a ping-pong table in Wold House. Sometime during the middle of the night on a recent weekend, a group broke the legs of the table causing the playing surface to cave in. According to Benjamin Foster, Assistant Director of Minerva Programs, the group of individuals has not, and probably will not be caught.
However, according to Foster, vandalism in Minerva Houses is “incredibly sporadic” and is almost non-existent. When it does occur, vandalism is billed to the respective house’s operating budget.
Dean Tom McEvoy, Director of Minerva Programs, believes that for buildings that are approximately eight years old are in good shape for buildings on a typical college campus.
“I find that the nicer the building, the less students vandalize,” McEvoy explained.
However, according to Foster, the small amount of vandalism still affects residents, “Wold House residents were very upset. They felt violated and it takes away from the community.”
McEvoy also believes that vandalism is a direct insult to the custodians and trades people that have to clean up and fix the damages, but at same time students must remember that they are vandalizing their own homes, “Students need to be responsible for each other. Your home is the face you show to the world and people should behave in the way they would want others to behave in their house.”
As for the Psi Upsilon, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Timothy Dunn reports that the mural destruction is still under investigation, though in general most acts of vandalism occur during social events and are usually not done by the members of the particular house.
While eradicating vandalism from campus buildings is not an easy fix, Rucinski is encouraged by the improvement in the number of cases of vandalism, “It's an ongoing issue, probably like it is on other campuses, but so far we have been seeing a nice trend of improvement in that area.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on February 19, 2009.
Despite recent acts of violence at Wold House and Psi Upsilon, vandalism has been slowly declining across the Union campus.
According data provided by the Facilities Services Department, both the number of incidents and money spent to repair vandalism damages has fallen since the 2004-2005 fiscal year.
In 2004-2005, Facilities Services spent approximately $101,000 on vandalism repairs across the campus. However, vandalism expenses were down to $72,000 in the 2007-2008 fiscal year.
Director of Facilities and Planning, Loren Rucinski believes that the most vandalism, which as defined in the Union College Handbook as the “intentional or reckless destruction of college or private property,” occurs in the independent residence halls, particularly the freshmen halls of Davidson, West, and Richmond, which have been subjected to students tearing posters, signs, and bulletin boards down.
However, Rucinski believes that drop in vandalism during the past four years is continuing: “In general, the vandalism has been decreasing over the past 4 years and this year so far looks like it will be below [previous years], which would be great.”
Rucinski credits the active work of the Residential Life staff for the decrease in the number of vandalism reports in the independent housing on campus.
“I think that Residence Life has been doing a good job trying to get the message across with appropriate billing,” Rucinski added.
Joe Melendez, Residence Director of Davidson and Webster Halls, believes that vandalism has a rollercoaster affect in the sense that it comes in waves. According to Melendez, in addition to bulletin boards, ceiling tiles, exit signs, walls, and hallway lights are primary targets of vandalism in residence halls.
In order to prevent these types of crimes, Melendez and the rest of the residential life staff continually work to build a positive community and inform their respective communities of the consequences associated with destruction of property.
Matt Goodrich, a Resident Advisor in Davidson Hall used a unique strategy to combat vandalism and destructive actions on his floor after a weekend that resulted in the destruction of numerous ceiling tiles as well as the bulletin board. Instead of listing the ways the college tries to prevent vandalism, Goodrich asked his residents to write on the bulletin board ways to “keep the floor clean.”
Michael Jacobson (’12), resident of Goodrich’s floor, believes that the bulletin board was effective in reducing the violent acts of vandalism on his floor, “Matt works hard to build a tight-knit community and it is a direct insult to him when people tear down his boards. It is frustrating to walk in the hallway after a Friday or Saturday night and see my home at Union destroyed, usually by people who don’t even live there.”
In addition to vandalism decreasing in the residence halls, Minerva Houses have seen significant decreases in acts of property destruction. The most recent act of destruction that has occurred, according to the Office of Minerva Programs, was the destruction of a ping-pong table in Wold House. Sometime during the middle of the night on a recent weekend, a group broke the legs of the table causing the playing surface to cave in. According to Benjamin Foster, Assistant Director of Minerva Programs, the group of individuals has not, and probably will not be caught.
However, according to Foster, vandalism in Minerva Houses is “incredibly sporadic” and is almost non-existent. When it does occur, vandalism is billed to the respective house’s operating budget.
Dean Tom McEvoy, Director of Minerva Programs, believes that for buildings that are approximately eight years old are in good shape for buildings on a typical college campus.
“I find that the nicer the building, the less students vandalize,” McEvoy explained.
However, according to Foster, the small amount of vandalism still affects residents, “Wold House residents were very upset. They felt violated and it takes away from the community.”
McEvoy also believes that vandalism is a direct insult to the custodians and trades people that have to clean up and fix the damages, but at same time students must remember that they are vandalizing their own homes, “Students need to be responsible for each other. Your home is the face you show to the world and people should behave in the way they would want others to behave in their house.”
As for the Psi Upsilon, Director of Fraternity and Sorority Life Timothy Dunn reports that the mural destruction is still under investigation, though in general most acts of vandalism occur during social events and are usually not done by the members of the particular house.
While eradicating vandalism from campus buildings is not an easy fix, Rucinski is encouraged by the improvement in the number of cases of vandalism, “It's an ongoing issue, probably like it is on other campuses, but so far we have been seeing a nice trend of improvement in that area.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on February 19, 2009.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Student Forum to host Campus Safety Discussion
Benjamin Engle
On Monday, November 10th, the Union College community will be able to voice their concerns regarding campus safety. Student Forum has invited high-level members of the Campus Safety Department, including Director William Sickinger, Assistant Director Christopher Hayen, and day-shift supervisor, Sergeant Ed Teller for a discussion on the safety problems students are facing on campus.
“The forum president [Jillian Bannister] asked that I meet with the forum to answer their questions about campus safety operations,” Sickinger said. “I expect to clarify any security issues and concerns pertaining to our operations.”
Students are encouraged to attend the student forum meeting or talk to their class representatives to share their thoughts and feelings regarding their safety on campus.
The discussion regarding campus safety comes after numerous incidents on campus during the majority of the fall term involving Union students and Schenectady residents. In their attempt to make students feel more secure on campus, Campus Safety has been talking to Sororities, in addition to student forum, to discuss how to be safer on campus.
Nicole Silverman, Membership Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta and campus safety representative for Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, and Sigma Delta Tau, has been an advocate for increased action on behalf of the Campus Safety Department to make Union safer, “Campus safety came to talk to the sorority houses about using better judgment and that we should just be cautious when we are leaving buildings.”
Hayen, however, believes that students need to be more proactive when it comes to safety on campus, “The challenge for us is to get the students to “buy in” to the programs. We are making progress in getting the message across to the campus community that crime prevention is everyone’s concern.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on November 6, 2008.
On Monday, November 10th, the Union College community will be able to voice their concerns regarding campus safety. Student Forum has invited high-level members of the Campus Safety Department, including Director William Sickinger, Assistant Director Christopher Hayen, and day-shift supervisor, Sergeant Ed Teller for a discussion on the safety problems students are facing on campus.
“The forum president [Jillian Bannister] asked that I meet with the forum to answer their questions about campus safety operations,” Sickinger said. “I expect to clarify any security issues and concerns pertaining to our operations.”
Students are encouraged to attend the student forum meeting or talk to their class representatives to share their thoughts and feelings regarding their safety on campus.
The discussion regarding campus safety comes after numerous incidents on campus during the majority of the fall term involving Union students and Schenectady residents. In their attempt to make students feel more secure on campus, Campus Safety has been talking to Sororities, in addition to student forum, to discuss how to be safer on campus.
Nicole Silverman, Membership Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta and campus safety representative for Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, and Sigma Delta Tau, has been an advocate for increased action on behalf of the Campus Safety Department to make Union safer, “Campus safety came to talk to the sorority houses about using better judgment and that we should just be cautious when we are leaving buildings.”
Hayen, however, believes that students need to be more proactive when it comes to safety on campus, “The challenge for us is to get the students to “buy in” to the programs. We are making progress in getting the message across to the campus community that crime prevention is everyone’s concern.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on November 6, 2008.
Students’ Safety Concerns Continue to Escalate
Benjamin Engle
Union College students are increasingly looking over their shoulders as they travel on and around campus in the dark because of recent crimes and safety breaches that have occurred.
Since the mugging of a female member of the class of 2009 on September 20th and the attacking of a male student on Nott Street ten days later, students have been more concerned about their safety while out at night. These concerns, however, are not limited to the weekend; an increasing number of students are afraid to walk alone when leaving the library in the early-morning hours after a member of Gamma Phi Beta was approached on her way from Schaffer Library to the Beuth parking lot by an unknown man.
As a result of the recent crimes involving Schenectady residents and Union students, members of Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, and Sigma Delta Tau have decided to take action against, what it seems, the increasing level of crime in the Union campus vicinity. After hearing fears from fellow sisters about the crime around campus, Nicole Silverman, the Membership Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta, decided to represent the three sororities on “Greek Row,” an area behind the hockey rink that is home to approximately 200 female students.
In the search for answers and solutions, Silverman wrote a position paper with various proposals for a safer campus and presented them to the administration and campus safety.
“We ask that our concerns and fears be taken into serious consideration and that something be done as soon as possible,” Silverman stated.
Within her proposal, Silverman argues that campus safety officers are inefficiently used and that suggests that they are not deterrents of crime.
“Campus safety shouldn’t be more concerned over the freshmen dorms,” Silverman said. “They need to be monitoring the areas where crime happens the most, especially Greek rows and Lennox Avenue. Campus safety officers need to be better trained and should be armed.”
While Silverman believes that campus safety could make students safer on campus, Christopher M. Hayen, the Assistant Director of the Union Campus Public Safety Department, understands student concerns, but thinks campus safety is efficient, “Improvements can always be made, but I believe campus safety does a very good job of keeping the campus safe. The officers are pro-active as much as possible in identifying threats to the campus and taking the appropriate action.”
Contradictory to Silverman, Hayen doesn’t think all officers should be armed because of how the department is currently structured.
Silverman, in addition to better-trained safety officers, is pushing a plan to increase the number of campus safety booths all around campus. According to Silverman’s estimates, one safety booth costs $26,000. She believes that reducing each Minerva House budget by $10,000 could fund the initiative, however, her funding plan may be hurt since Minervas are funded through a specific charge to students on their tuition bill.
“There needs to be constant surveillance of the areas where crime occurs the most, however, video cameras and blue lights don’t deter crime since they can not physically protect us,” Silverman said.
While Hayen believes that the addition of safety booths is not a bad suggestion, he doesn’t see it as the best use of resources,” I feel the man power can better be used by actively patrolling the campus than being at a stationary post.”
Silverman believes that if safety booths are not feasible, then Union should have a closed campus with officers at each gate.
“I understand that a closed campus sends the wrong message to the community,” Silverman states, “but the community already believes that they can come on campus and attack students without any consequence.”
Many of the crimes taking place on campus, however, according to Hayen, wouldn’t be deterred by a closed campus, “[A closed campus] would help in accounting for who is on campus and denying access to those who have no legitimate reason for being here, however, the majority of crime on campus is committed by students or their guests so I don’t think we would see a significant drop in the numbers.”
As for safety around the campus vicinity, Hayen says that campus safety does not have the authority to police city streets as it is within the jurisdiction of the Schenectady Police Department.
While Union campus safety can’t patrol Schenectady streets, Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett and the Schenectady Police Department are aware of safety concerns.
“The city police officers regularly patrol the area that surrounds the campus and like all areas of the city, the patrol coverage is dedicated to specific area posts,” Commissioner Bennett said. “On occasion we have increased patrol coverage consistent with current activity levels and intelligence which is updated daily by our crime analysis staff. We have almost real time data which is computerized thereby indicating to us the locations and time of day that we need to devote additional police patrol resources to address current trends.”
In addition surveillance, Commissioner Bennett, President Ainlay, and the mayor of Schenectady, Brian Stratton, have participated in discussions regarding additional financial resources to augment the city’s current camera project. Bennett’s goal is to implement additional live-monitored cameras in and around the campus to provide coverage for the entire campus. Currently there are three installed on city streets surrounding the campus.
With approximately nine registered sex offenders living within a block of the Union campus, according to the National Sex Offender Registry, Silverman doesn’t believe that cameras are going to physically protect Union students, only better trained officers can do that.
“Students should be able to have the luxury of studying at the library and not have to be worried about their life as they leave it’s doors,” Silverman added.
While Silverman understands that students can call the campus escort service, she believes the operation is pointless since escorts are more often than not fellow students and they don’t specialize in how to protect people.
Silverman is uncertain if the administration and campus safety will adopt her safety proposals though she wonders what it will take for the college to improve campus safety, “Why should anyone feel unsafe at college? Schenectady residents know students are around to be robbed.”
Barrett believes that the relationship between Union College Students and the local residents is generally positive, however, “I urge all students to take common sense precautions when it comes to their own personal safety and I most especially encourage them to keep the well being of their fellow students in mind at all times.”
Silverman, nonetheless, is not convinced that she or her fellow students are safe, “Students and outsiders should come to our campus and feel safe. Every member of Union College should know that when they walk on campus, they do not have to question whether or not they may be the next victims of crime, though when the sun sets, crime is likely to occur at Union.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on October 23, 2008.
Union College students are increasingly looking over their shoulders as they travel on and around campus in the dark because of recent crimes and safety breaches that have occurred.
Since the mugging of a female member of the class of 2009 on September 20th and the attacking of a male student on Nott Street ten days later, students have been more concerned about their safety while out at night. These concerns, however, are not limited to the weekend; an increasing number of students are afraid to walk alone when leaving the library in the early-morning hours after a member of Gamma Phi Beta was approached on her way from Schaffer Library to the Beuth parking lot by an unknown man.
As a result of the recent crimes involving Schenectady residents and Union students, members of Gamma Phi Beta, Delta Delta Delta, and Sigma Delta Tau have decided to take action against, what it seems, the increasing level of crime in the Union campus vicinity. After hearing fears from fellow sisters about the crime around campus, Nicole Silverman, the Membership Vice President of Gamma Phi Beta, decided to represent the three sororities on “Greek Row,” an area behind the hockey rink that is home to approximately 200 female students.
In the search for answers and solutions, Silverman wrote a position paper with various proposals for a safer campus and presented them to the administration and campus safety.
“We ask that our concerns and fears be taken into serious consideration and that something be done as soon as possible,” Silverman stated.
Within her proposal, Silverman argues that campus safety officers are inefficiently used and that suggests that they are not deterrents of crime.
“Campus safety shouldn’t be more concerned over the freshmen dorms,” Silverman said. “They need to be monitoring the areas where crime happens the most, especially Greek rows and Lennox Avenue. Campus safety officers need to be better trained and should be armed.”
While Silverman believes that campus safety could make students safer on campus, Christopher M. Hayen, the Assistant Director of the Union Campus Public Safety Department, understands student concerns, but thinks campus safety is efficient, “Improvements can always be made, but I believe campus safety does a very good job of keeping the campus safe. The officers are pro-active as much as possible in identifying threats to the campus and taking the appropriate action.”
Contradictory to Silverman, Hayen doesn’t think all officers should be armed because of how the department is currently structured.
Silverman, in addition to better-trained safety officers, is pushing a plan to increase the number of campus safety booths all around campus. According to Silverman’s estimates, one safety booth costs $26,000. She believes that reducing each Minerva House budget by $10,000 could fund the initiative, however, her funding plan may be hurt since Minervas are funded through a specific charge to students on their tuition bill.
“There needs to be constant surveillance of the areas where crime occurs the most, however, video cameras and blue lights don’t deter crime since they can not physically protect us,” Silverman said.
While Hayen believes that the addition of safety booths is not a bad suggestion, he doesn’t see it as the best use of resources,” I feel the man power can better be used by actively patrolling the campus than being at a stationary post.”
Silverman believes that if safety booths are not feasible, then Union should have a closed campus with officers at each gate.
“I understand that a closed campus sends the wrong message to the community,” Silverman states, “but the community already believes that they can come on campus and attack students without any consequence.”
Many of the crimes taking place on campus, however, according to Hayen, wouldn’t be deterred by a closed campus, “[A closed campus] would help in accounting for who is on campus and denying access to those who have no legitimate reason for being here, however, the majority of crime on campus is committed by students or their guests so I don’t think we would see a significant drop in the numbers.”
As for safety around the campus vicinity, Hayen says that campus safety does not have the authority to police city streets as it is within the jurisdiction of the Schenectady Police Department.
While Union campus safety can’t patrol Schenectady streets, Public Safety Commissioner Wayne Bennett and the Schenectady Police Department are aware of safety concerns.
“The city police officers regularly patrol the area that surrounds the campus and like all areas of the city, the patrol coverage is dedicated to specific area posts,” Commissioner Bennett said. “On occasion we have increased patrol coverage consistent with current activity levels and intelligence which is updated daily by our crime analysis staff. We have almost real time data which is computerized thereby indicating to us the locations and time of day that we need to devote additional police patrol resources to address current trends.”
In addition surveillance, Commissioner Bennett, President Ainlay, and the mayor of Schenectady, Brian Stratton, have participated in discussions regarding additional financial resources to augment the city’s current camera project. Bennett’s goal is to implement additional live-monitored cameras in and around the campus to provide coverage for the entire campus. Currently there are three installed on city streets surrounding the campus.
With approximately nine registered sex offenders living within a block of the Union campus, according to the National Sex Offender Registry, Silverman doesn’t believe that cameras are going to physically protect Union students, only better trained officers can do that.
“Students should be able to have the luxury of studying at the library and not have to be worried about their life as they leave it’s doors,” Silverman added.
While Silverman understands that students can call the campus escort service, she believes the operation is pointless since escorts are more often than not fellow students and they don’t specialize in how to protect people.
Silverman is uncertain if the administration and campus safety will adopt her safety proposals though she wonders what it will take for the college to improve campus safety, “Why should anyone feel unsafe at college? Schenectady residents know students are around to be robbed.”
Barrett believes that the relationship between Union College Students and the local residents is generally positive, however, “I urge all students to take common sense precautions when it comes to their own personal safety and I most especially encourage them to keep the well being of their fellow students in mind at all times.”
Silverman, nonetheless, is not convinced that she or her fellow students are safe, “Students and outsiders should come to our campus and feel safe. Every member of Union College should know that when they walk on campus, they do not have to question whether or not they may be the next victims of crime, though when the sun sets, crime is likely to occur at Union.”
Originally published in Union's Concordy on October 23, 2008.
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