Keenan Wilson n Chief Reporter
Students with safety concerns now have an outlet to voice those problems to the University Public Safety Committee, since it has included a link on its Web site for such communications.Kirk Armstrong, a graduate student and head of the committee, said officials wanted to give students a way to talk with the committee, and through them the university police and other groups that affect student safety at Ball State University."If a student has an issue with, say, speeding down McKinley [Avenue] or not enough lights in a certain area ... there is a forum where they can have their voice heard anonymously by university officials," he said.Armstrong said the Public Safety Committee was a subsidiary of the university governance that deals with any issues students have with their own or another's safety. In the past, he said, they have dealt with such things as cutting bushes so areas are more open and visible, installing emergency call boxes at strategic spots around campus and getting lights installed in areas that students feel are too dark.In addition to the response forum, the Web site received other improvements, Armstrong said. A section labeled "minutes" gives browsers the ability to see what happens during the meetings of the committee, he said. Also, the members section was updated to reflect the changing members of the committee, which includes faculty, staff and student members."We wanted people to be able to know what [the committee] does and what [it] has been doing to address their needs," Armstrong said.Michael Brown, associate professor of criminal justice and criminology, said that police departments around the country were emphasizing communication with their communities."A police department is only as effective as the information it has," he said. Armstrong said the committee had already begun to receive some responses from students regarding a variety of safety issues. He said the committee had received recommendations from the university community in the past, through other outlets, and they had successfully fulfilled those requests."The lack of pedestrian crosswalks on Neely [Avenue], around the Architecture Building, was brought up," he said. "We've sense installed two crosswalks there."
Additional informationTo voice your concerns visit the University Public Safety Committee's Web site at safety.iweb.bsu.edu
Read More
Three Air Jam teams take home the win
October 12, 2012Nineteen teams shimmied, shook and flipped for a sold out John R. Emens Auditorium on Thursday night during the 25th annual Air Jam.
Bill Clinton Speaks at North Central High School
October 12, 2012Former President's Speech Could Have Effect on State Senate Race
