Dear Campus Community,
An independent consulting firm has completed its review of the Ithaca College Office of Public Safety (OPS) and Emergency Management. Margolis Healy recently provided the college with its final report, which will be presented to the campus community at an information session scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22nd, from noon–1 p.m. in Clark Lounge, Campus Center.
All students, faculty, and staff are invited to attend the session, which will be led by the firm’s CEO, Steven Healy, and include the opportunity for audience Q&A. The report’s executive summary can be found at www.ithaca.edu/safety/margolis_healy.
Margolis Healy was selected in the fall of 2016 to examine the administrative and operational mechanisms utilized by OPS, to help ensure that its systems, policies, procedures, and practices are in alignment with the college’s goals to build an inclusive and welcoming community as well as the “fair and impartial policing” model.
The report identifies six major themes that it considers requiring priority attention by the college:
During their on-site visits, the consultants conducted individual and group interviews with a wide range of campus constituents. They also reviewed numerous documents and data points to come up with recommendations for customizing standards and practices in order to meet the unique needs and concerns of the IC community.
The report acknowledges that it offers a snapshot of conditions at the time of the assessment, and that many improvements were being made independent of the review even as it was taking place.
“Since our initial visit to Ithaca College in November 2016, and during our off-site research and an additional visit to campus, we found that the college has taken many steps to address challenges identified in this review,” according to the Executive Summary. “For example, the college’s new chief of public safety has been systematically addressing many of the short-term recommendations in this report and appears to have embraced our general opinion that the department must work to re-establish positive relationships with the Ithaca College campus community, and specifically with students.”
Serving as the project liaisons for the college were Roger “Doc” Richardson, associate provost for diversity, inclusion, and engagement; and Brian Dickens, vice president for human resources.
Both the presentation by Steven Healy and the full Margolis Healy report will be posted on the Public Safety website following the campus session.
Individuals with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Karen Walls at kwalls@ithaca.edu or (607) 274-3113. We ask that requests for accommodations be made as soon as possible.
Sincerely,
Rosanna Ferro, EdD
Vice President for Student Affairs & Campus Life
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Ithaca College
953 Danby Rd | 332 Egbert Hall
Ithaca, NY 14850
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20180215165947423