The Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee was formed for the specific purpose of researching and identifying opportunities for further collaboration and enhanced partnership between our campus community and our University Police Department (UPD). UPD has worked hard to maintain a safe and secure campus for all members of the community, including working closely with our students to develop important connections. Most recently, UPD has been essential in providing valuable assistance and security in navigating the COVID-19 crisis and our University’s swift emergency response.

The committee is charged with helping to build trust between the community and the police by developing a set of principles and guidelines that can enhance the work of UPD and create a progressive culture of understanding and accountability within our campus community. Committee co-chairs are Judi Clarke, vice president of equity and inclusion and chief diversity officer, and Lawrence Zacarese, interim chief of police, assistant vice president for campus safety and senior operations director for institutional resiliency and business continuity.

Committee Members

The 2021-2022 Committee Members will be selected in early May 2021. The Ad Hoc Committee Members are as follows:

Kiara Arias Undergraduate Student Representative	Kiara Arias is a senior in political science with a minor in journalism and media arts. She currently is a digital journalism teaching assistant, Director of Diversity and Inclusion Affairs for the Undergraduate Student Government (USG), and Resident Assistant for Eisenhower College, Campus Residences.
Annapoorani Hariharan International Student Representative	Annapoorani Hariharan is a third-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Chemistry and an international student. She is the current Treasurer of the Graduate Chemical Society. Annapoorani is interested in astrochemistry, data science and science communication.
Catherine Polster Graduate Student, Staff Representative	Catherine Polster is the Senior Staff Assistant and Assistant to the Director in Stony Brook Medicine in the Department of Preventive Medicine. She is currently a doctoral candidate in Higher Education Administration, the Co-Graduate Chair for the Stony Brook Student Health Advisory Committee (SHAC) and a member of the Stony Brook Workforce Diversity Committee.
Dorothy Corbett Staff Representative	Dorothy Corbett is a Senior Academic Advisor and Counselor for the Educational Opportunity Program and Advancement on Individual Merit (EOP/AIM). She is also a Hispanic Hertage Month Committee Member and mentor for the Student African American Sisterhood (SAAS) program.
Manny Cortes Staff Representative	Manny Cortes is the Director of Residential Risk Management for Campus Residences. He  is responsible for the coordination and administration of many functions including safety, security, emergency management, code compliance, student advocacy, parking, access control,  mailrooms, fitness centers, and disability services.
Joan Dickinson Staff Representative	Joan Dickinson is the Commuity Relations Director and Executive Director of CommUniversity Day. She serves as a liaison building relationships for mutual benefit between the University and neighbors, community leaders, schools, businesses and elected officials.
Catherine-Mary Rivera Staff Representative	Catherine-Mary Rivera is the Interim Assistant Vice President for Campus Residences. Her responsibilities include residential education, financial management, housing administration and safety and support services for all residential students.
Ifeyinwa Onyenekwu Faculty Representative	Ifeyinwa Onyenekwu is an Assistant Professor in the School of Dental Medicine, and directs or participates in the “patient," “community” and “foundations” courses offered by the Department of General Dentistry. She is also the Assistant Dean of Admissions and Student Affairs, where she connects students to services, activities, and learning opportunities.
Jason Trelewicz Faculty Representative	Jason Trelewicz is an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Stony Brook University with a joint appointment in the Department of Materials Science and Chemical Engineering and the Institute for Advanced Computational Science.

Principles and Guidlines

Overview

The mission of Stony Brook’s Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee is to provide vision and guidance related to the relationship and delivery of University Police Department (UPD) services to the campus community. Through its members, the Committee facilitates communication and develops a mutual understanding of roles and expectations between the community and UPD. This highly collaborative partnership optimizes police resources on campus by providing thoughtful insight into the safety and security needs of our diverse campus community.

Background

On August 28, 2020, President Maurie McInnis wrote a letter to the campus community announcing the Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee, formed for the specific purpose of “researching and identifying opportunities for further collaboration and enhanced partnership between our campus community and our University Police Department (UPD)”. 

“As a campus community, Stony Brook cannot achieve its core mission if it does not embrace the lessons of this cultural moment and the demands of our community. This is the foundation of the Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee’s work. Together, with intentionality, we will create a campus that feels safe and productive for all.”

The committee was charged with helping to build this trust by developing a set of recommendations and guidelines that can enhance the work of UPD and create a progressive culture of understanding and accountability within our campus community. The committee was led by co-chairs Judi Clarke, Vice President of Equity and Inclusion and Chief Diversity Officer, and Lawrence Zacarese, Interim Chief of Police and Assistant Vice President for Campus Safety, Senior Operations Director for Institutional Resiliency and Business Continuity.

Committee Recommendations

Structure

The ad hoc Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee recommends that a permanent structure be put in place in an advisory role to the President. The role of the standing Campus, Community and Personal Safety Advisory Committee (CCPS) will be to advise the President on matters of concern or ideas for consideration regarding the relationships between the UPD and the campus community. The focus of the CCPS’s work will be to provide advice and insight into ways in which the policies, practices, and operations of the UPD effectively promote the security of the university community while fully respecting each member of our diverse community.

 It is critical that the CCPS recognize the responsibility of the Police Department to safeguard the rights of all citizens, faculty, staff and students. The CCPS should review issues and concerns that its members identify, or that are referred to it from the university community. Any member of the university community may submit a matter for the CCPS’s consideration, but the CCPS is not intended to be a substitute for the established means for handling formal grievances or complaints. (see: Stony Brook University Police | University Police Department)

 When appropriate, the CCPS is expected to refer concerns to the proper channels for formal consideration and action. In such cases, the CCPS may seek information regarding the overall processes and timeliness of these formal channels to determine whether changes to process or procedure should be recommended and may seek information on statistics from these formal channels to determine whether there are patterns that may need further review by campus leadership.

 The Committee will deal with concerns about police and community relations, and Department policy. The Committee has no power to change or modify state law, university contracts with duly recognized bargaining units, or Department policies and procedures. If in the judgment of the Committee, changes in policies or procedures are necessary, it is the responsibility of the Committee to recommend such to the appropriate body.

Guiding Strategies

The CCPS will have four strategic objectives: awareness, communications, monitoring and reporting to use as guidelines for its efforts:

Strategy 1: The CCPS is expected to maintain an awareness of issues affecting public safety at Stony Brook University and the surrounding community.

Strategy 2: The CCPS accepts and aggregates concerns voiced by students, faculty, staff, employees, and community members, shares these concerns with the relevant campus entity, and makes recommendations for resolution.

Strategy 3: The CCPS provides input on programs and projects aimed at improving campus safety and promotes positive interaction between UPD and the campus community.

Strategy 4: The CCPS communicates with the campus community about its work.

Membership

The standing Committee should include broad representation and inclusive perspectives from the campus community, including undergraduate students, graduate student, postdocs, faculty and staff. The membership will be determined collaboratively between institutional, faculty, and student leadership.

Committee Meetings

In an effort to keep the lines of communication open and to ensure that issues, concerns and insights have a forum for discussion, the CCPS is expected to meet at least once per semester, and more frequently as circumstances warrant, as determined by the chair.

 If and when disagreements arise as to the conduct of the meetings of the Committee, Robert's Rules of Order shall prevail.

 The President’s office may provide administrative and other needed support to the CCPS. Minutes of CCPS meetings will be taken and distributed to members within fifteen days of each meeting. At the request of the Chair, the CCPS may meet with the President annually.

 The CCPS may host an open public forum each academic year to receive concerns or to provide information to the university community. Members will be asked not to comment in the press or on social media regarding issues under consideration by the CCPS. 

 The CCPS should maintain a website that includes minutes of meetings and other relevant materials.