Campus Safety Committee: 2/11/2009

The Campus Safety Committee met on Wednesday February 11th to discuss newspaper collaboration efforts, false alarms, and Wisc Alerts.

During the last meeting of the fall semester 2008, the idea arose to contact the campus newspapers about possibly posting a weekly column with the most prevalent three to five crimes each week, along with preventative safety tips and ideas. The idea of is to inform students what and where crime trends are taking place.

False fire alarms are often pulled in large apartment buildings near campus. This was brought to the committee’s attention, where the idea of having landlords give student’s names to the University who have pulled a false alarm, and allowing the University to take disciplinary actions. Another idea discussed was talking to the landlords of these apartment buildings about installing security cameras and taking other preventative measures.

Currently students who have signed up for WiscAlerts will receive a text message when an unsafe, widespread event has taken place on or near the campus that puts students in direct danger. The latest WiscAlert was sent out earlier this semester regarding a gas main break. WiscAlerts only informs students of major events on campus that may cause harm to students.

Any feedback, ideas, or sentiments that anyone has regarding the usefulness of the collaboration with the news papers, disciplinary and preventative measures with false fire alarms, and WiscAlerts would be great appreciated for our next meeting on March 11th.

During this meeting I will make sure to bring up the campus safe services and the student desire to have them expanded.