The Campus Chronicle

Volume 2, No. 39
October 11, 2002

SCAD students Jeremy Marcouillien, Kristin Harp and Julia Warner walk by the emergency call box SCAD installed outside Bergen Hall. This call box is one of six installed throughout the historic district and is part of SCAD’s new safety initiatives.
Photo by Wayne C. Moore

Step-by-step to a safer campus

By Bruce Chong

It is October and the Savannah College of Art and Design, along with every college across the nation, is performing an annual rite of fall as required under the federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act. SCAD is reporting annual campus crime statistics to the U.S. Department of Education and publishing that information along with college policies.

The Clery Act requires colleges to report and publish an annual disclosure of campus security policies and three years’ worth of statistics. The college also must have a policy and system in place for making timely warnings to the campus community about crimes that pose an "ongoing threat" to students and employees. In addition, institutions must have a public crime log, sexual assault victims must be assured of certain basic rights and institutions must provide a detailed description of the college’s training and safety awareness programs. The statistical information is given to the U.S. Department of Education to disseminate, while the policy information is published and distributed on campus.

The college prints the Clery Act information on a flyer and copies are available at student services in American Hall at 7 Drayton St., the campus safety dispatch office at 210 Barnard St. and at the director of campus safety’s office in the Physical Resources facility at 22 E. Lathrop Ave. To make it easy for students, parent, prospective students, faculty, staff and anyone else who wants to know, the college posts the same information on the college Web site at www.scad.edu/safety/.

This year the college administration is carefully examining its policies and reporting according to the Clery Act. Administrators not only want to make sure the college adheres to guidelines, but also to help Director of Campus Safety Gene Friedman define safety goals and responses. Friedman, formerly with the Miami Police Department, was appointed last December by SCAD President Paula S. Wallace to enhance campus security. Since arriving on campus he has implemented several prevention and awareness programs, provided new informational brochures and flyers, conducted various safety seminars and updated the college’s campus safety Web site.

Friedman invited a group of campus security officials to come to SCAD Oct. 6-8 as part of the Loaned Executive Management Assistance Program of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. They reviewed the college’s safety procedures and offered ideas and suggestions for improvements. The group consisted of Harold Aziz, police chief and director of public safety for the Massachusetts College of Art, Vincent DeCerchio, director of public safety for Bucknell University, and Robert Miller, director of public safety for Furman University and father of a SCAD alumnus. As part of their review, the group toured the campus, met with campus security officers and supervisors, walked through the college residential halls and facilities and met with students, in both formal and informal settings.

The official results of the review are not yet fully known. A written report from the three campus security officials will be sent in the near future, but they did offer some comments before they left.

"[Friedman’s] relationship with students is good," Miller said. "They know about his crime-free living program."

Recounting his meetings with students, Miller was complimentary. "They generally feel safe and, although it is sometimes a hassle, they like the fact that IDs are checked at buildings," he said.
Together, Miller, DeCerchio and Aziz touched on a few of the points they felt would come up in their written report, including promoting greater on campus awareness of the off-duty Savannah Police Department officers who work at the college seven days a week (see On the Safe Side, page 2), some explanation of the role and limitations of campus security staff, an expanded role for the Campus Safety Web site, in providing a more immediate posting of alerts, advisories and weekly summaries, as well as building hours, and a review of evening transportation schedules.

The group said they felt that since the SPD officers wore their regular uniforms and drove their police vehicles, most members of the college community were probably not aware the college provided this additional safety and security. They also said they thought some members of the college didn’t understand that the campus security officers are trained to operate in accordance with state codes for unarmed security personnel and had no legal arrest and enforcement authority. The three security officials also felt the college safety Web site could make crime and enforcement information more readily available to the college community along with a current posting of building hours, and they thought there could be better coordination of evening transportation schedules with building hours.

"[Friedman] accomplished a lot in a short period of time," Miller said. "I know how hard it is and how much work he has put into it."