Department of Safety and Security

There were 8 participants.

The meeting began at approximately 3:30 p.m. in the Collegiate Room.

The meeting started with the advisory board members commenting on the brochures and fliers that were distributed. These included our new Annual Report, the postcard that was distributed to all students regarding the annual report, the Strike Out Crime pamphlet, and the "If I Were a Thief, You'd Be Ripped Off" notice. Safety Officers and CAST members will use the "thief" notice to inform potential crime victims of their unsafe practices. These will be received through our college postal service.

Don Huie noticed an error on the map portion of the Strike Out Crime pamphlet - a building is listed as AC on map and AD in the key. Dorothy advised that we only printed 500 copies, as we knew we'd be updating the map as our college continues to grow. For instance, what may be listed as construction will be labeled appropriately. Don's comment was an error on

We discussed the Electronic Crime Alert used to inform the FSC community about a suspicious person on campus in September. The group felt it was very effective. Betty Calhoun had called the Safety Office earlier in the day to see if we could remove the flier. The advisory board concurred that the flier served its usefulness and that it could be removed. Billy Langston mentioned that from an Admissions viewpoint, it would be preferable for the posters to be removed. Dorothy advised she would email the Crime Alert representatives selected from the various departments to remove the fliers.

Jeff Simmons mentioned a maroon Ford pickup truck, FL tag H32 VMJ, involved in a case that Chad Smith is investigating. It has been seen on the east side of our campus and the driver is not a student here. Please call the Safety Office or Chad if the vehicle is on campus.

Jeff would like to encourage the Safety Officers to patrol the residence halls between 2:00 and 3:00 a.m. He believes the increased patrol will discourage negative behavior on the part of our students.

Dorothy mentioned the "Adopt-A-Cop" program that Amy Kowalczyk was initiating.

Matthew Carter was concerned about limited parking in VJ lot outside of the Citrus Building. Randy mentioned that there is ample parking, but sometimes it's not right outside a building. Dorothy advised that freshmen are restricted from VJ lot due to Mr. Hurner's input from last years' meetings. VH lot, in front of Panhellenic, also prohibits freshmen parking.

Matthew also inquired about call boxes in VF lot near the Callahan House. Randy mentioned there is a call box at the entrance to VF lot. This was strategically placed at the entrance so drivers could call the safety office for escort assistance from their vehicles prior to parking in the back portion of the lot.

Steve Kissinger mentioned several students were concerned about the lighting between Polk Science and the President's House as they walk late at night from Panhellenic to Branscomb to practice their music. Don Huie advised the bright light shining on Polk Science makes the area directly opposite appear darker than it really is. Also, this was not an area of concern during the lighting tour this past spring. Students should be advised to walk in pairs and use the safety escort service.

Another area of lighting concern is the walkway to the east of building 19 on the way to VJ lot. Steve thought trimming the trees might solve this problem. Jeff also mentioned the area between the tennis courts and the Bandshell appeared dark. Don said he'd follow-up on lighting issues.

Jeff mentioned that he's written up three people on alcohol violations so far. Matthew mentioned that it isn't common knowledge that people are suffering consequences of alcohol possession or consumption. Dorothy mentioned that the Safety Office is working with Judicial to receive updates on college regulation violations. We may be posting statistics in the school newspaper throughout the year. Steve mentioned Tom Hall may be another person to contact as he is running an alcohol prevention campaign. The advisory board realizes that alcohol consumption is a campus wide problem. Billy mentioned that the recruiting efforts have changed to target non-drinking students. Values based statements are playing a major role in our recent efforts. The message from the advisory board is one of supporting efforts to combat alcohol use on campus.

The exterior fire door at Hollis is down due to construction. Don mentioned the double door at Jenkins will be replaced with a single door due to repetitive vandalism by our students. Another serious problem is the removal of manhole covers around campus, particularly at the northeast corner of building 61. We should report and replace these immediately. Students involved should be written up.

The meeting was adjourned at 4:30 p.m. The next meeting is November 11, 2003 at 3:30 p.m.

(Note: Dorothy stopped by Mr. Hurner's office after the meeting and provided a brief synopsis. Mr. Hurner advised that he requests students leave his classroom if it is apparent they are experiencing the after effects of a night of drinking. Receiving a zero in the class for the day discourages this type of behavior.)