Indiana University Bloomington students interested in social justice, safety communication, or careers in fields of law enforcement, emergency & safety management or public health should stop by the call-out meeting Tuesday for IU Public Safety Partners, held at 6:30 p.m. at the IMU in State Room East.
The group is new so there are leadership opportunities. The goal is to connect students with staff within Public Safety and Institutional Assurance who have expertise in the above areas. This includes IUPD, Emergency Management and Continuity, Environmental Health and Safety, PSIA communications and additional assistance from Bloomington Police and RPS, whose assistant director for diversity will be helping with the social justice discussion.
IUPD Operations Capt. Andy Stephenson is particularly interested in the students who want to participate in social justice discussions and events.
“Police around the country need to do a better job of engaging the citizens of the communities they serve,” he said. “Our hope is that this will strengthen and enhance the relationship between students and police, as well as increase safety and decrease the fear of crime on campus. It will give police an opportunity for transparency and allow students to voice any safety-related concerns they may have. The entire university community can benefit as we work together to solve problems.”
During the meeting, facilitators will lead small-group discussions to hear from students what they’d like to get out of the group and how it should proceed. Anyone who is interested but cannot attend the call-out should contact Tracy James at traljame@iu.edu.
Preliminary objectives include the following:
- Social Justice discussions
- Assistance with safety communication
- Pre-professional development for students interested in fields related to law enforcement, safety and emergency management and public health
- Safety education
“Such a group is an excellent win-win opportunity,” said Mark Bruhn, associate vice president for PSIA. “We can seek input from students on how we are doing in safety and health and what we might change to improve, and we can provide students with practical experience through interactions with all manner of safety and health professionals.”
Public Safety and Institutional Assurance falls under the Office of the Executive Vice President for University Academic Affairs and the Office of the Vice President for IT and CIO.
