On Feb. 1, 2005, the leadership of the Monroe Park Campus Student Government Association met with VCU Police Chief Willie B. Fuller to discuss issues of concern to students on campus. As a result of that meeting, and at Chief Fuller’s request, the SGA has agreed to appoint a student to act as the SGA/VCUPD liaison.
I am a student majoring in anthropology, and as the Executive Director of University Relations, I was selected as the Monroe Park Campus liaison for the current semester. I am being aided by the Special Assistant for Student Affairs, Justin Greene, who sits on the executive cabinet, and from the Senate side, Director Arman Amiri and the two directors of the SGA Ad-Hoc Security and Escort Committee, Senators Emad Maghsoudi and Emeka Eni.
I met with Chief Fuller last semester when we invited him to speak to VCU’s student organizations at the Presidential Roundtable, and I was surprised to learn that VCU is a relatively safe campus. The majority of crime going on around campus is theft in the libraries and in the dorms, as well as drug and alcohol violations.
Not only is most of the crime student-on-student, but so are the solutions. The people calling the police department to report crimes are in fact students. VCU students don’t want to live in an environment that makes them uncomfortable, and they are willing to be involved in stopping a negative environment from thriving on their campus.
Based on that information, the Security and Escort Committee is concentrating on a “collective security” front that will encourage students to continue holding each other personally responsible for their happiness and well-being. Mr. Greene and I will concentrate on contacting the students in the dormitories as well as reuniting the criminal justice department students with the Police Department.
Chief Fuller described to us a former relationship that allowed for students to have the opportunity to work with the Police Department at both paid positions and internships during the summer as well as during the academic terms. We would like to see that relationship thrive once again, as well as see more communication and involvement between the VCUPD and the student body.
Monroe Park Campus President Zmarak Khan and Vice President Eddie O’Leary agree with and support this concept. According to Khan, “Safety and security issues are one of the most important areas of concern when we talk to students. While we feel that we have an excellent police department, we welcome the ability to discuss issues directly with the police chief.”
Said Fuller, “In my view, there is no more critical relationship on a college campus than the one that students have with their police department. We are charged with the safety and security of almost 29,000 students on a daily basis. We take that role very seriously, and I feel that an open line of cooperation and communication with the elected leaders representing our students is essential.”
The VCUPD even provides opportunities such as ride-along programs, where any student can apply to ride along with a police officer for a night to witness firsthand what the VCU Police experiences on a daily basis.
The SGA will continue to work hand-in-hand with the VCU Police Department in the hope that our relationship will expand to include a stronger relationship between the students and their police department. Students need to rely on each other and on the police department in order to improve the quality of life on our campus in terms of security.
If you have any questions or concerns about the VCU Police Department and/or the safety of your campus, please feel free to contact me at the e-mail address below. Thank you.
Kelly Carnes is Executive Director of University Relations for the Monroe Park Campus SGA. She may be reached at carneskm@vcu.edu.