Establishment of Community Safety Advisory Group
December 7, 2020
Dear Boston University Community,
In a letter to the community on June 23, I took the first step toward establishing a Community Safety Advisory Group to advise me, our Chief of Police Kelly Nee, and University leadership on how members of the Boston University Police Department and the University’s public safety officers can best enhance the quality of campus life and help foster physical and psychological safety and security for all members of the Boston University community, including students and employees of color, and other underrepresented, nontraditional, and marginalized communities on campus.
I asked Angela Onwuachi-Willig, Dean of the School of Law, and Kenn Elmore, Associate Provost and Dean of Students, to conduct a comprehensive consultative review leading to a proposal for the structure of the Advisory Group and its charge. Through listening sessions on the Charles River and Medical Campuses, they gathered input from students, faculty, and staff. They also held sessions with the University Security Council, the command staff of the Boston University Police Department, and with BUPD officers. Deans Onwuachi-Willig and Elmore report that these discussions were candid and thoughtful. Both were encouraged that community members are invested in having an environment where there is a focus on human life and dignity, with strong relationships between the BUPD and all students, staff, and faculty, as well as residents in neighboring communities. Equally as important was the unified voice for eliminating racism—conscious and unconscious, intentional and unintentional—and any resulting profiling, harassment, and violence.
Based on recommendations in their report, I am establishing the Community Safety Advisory Group with the following focus and structure:
Areas of Focus
The Community Safety Advisory Group (CSAG) will report to the President and advise and make recommendations to the University leadership and Boston University Police Department (BUPD) on: (1) issues related to the safety and security of all members of the Boston University community; (2) the relationship between the BUPD and the University community; (3) training of the BUPD; and (4) relevant data collection related to the BUPD’s work. The CSAG’s focus will be:
- Providing input and recommending strategies to enhance community safety and security while fostering quality of campus life, inclusion, and a sense of physical safety for all members of the Boston University community, with an emphasis on the safety of students of color and other underrepresented, nontraditional, and societally marginalized communities on campus.
- Reviewing and making recommendations, when needed, about BUPD policies, procedures, and practices, including policies governing de-escalation in instances when use of force is considered or imminent.
- Reviewing and recommending security and safety initiatives within the Boston University community, as well as initiatives involving BUPD coordination with neighboring police departments.
- Supporting departmental reviews of protocols for engaging BUPD (i.e., Residence Life, Housing, and Behavioral Medicine) to address inherent conflicts among community members and instances when individual members of the community are asked to call BUPD, especially in nonemergency situations.
- Reviewing training of the staff of BUPD in nondiscriminatory or bias-free policing policies to ensure police officers work effectively and equitably with all members of the Boston University community.
- Providing input on effective communications between BUPD and Boston University students, staff, and faculty, including serving as a resource for members of the University community to voice concerns, opinions, and suggestions about how BUPD can better protect and serve all members of the community.
The CSAG will advise the Chief of Police and Executive Director of Public Safety and report annually, or as needed, to the President of the University.
Membership
- Chair, Andrea Taylor, Senior Diversity Officer
- Vice Chairs: three faculty members (serving for three-year terms) representing the Charles River Campus (CRC) and the Medical Campus (BUMC)
- Undergraduate students: Six students selected by the Dean of Students, representing student government and student organizations
- Graduate students from the CRC: four students selected by the Associate Provost for Graduate Affairs representing CRC school and college graduate student organizations and the Graduate Student Advisory Board
- Graduate student from the School of Law: selected by the Dean of the Law School
- Graduate students from the BUMC: two students selected by the Provost of the Medical Campus representing BUMC student organizations for the three schools
- Member of the Faculty Council
- Members of the CRC faculty: two faculty members selected by the University Provost and Chief Academic Officer
- Member of the BUMC faculty: one faculty member selected by the Provost of the Medical Campus
- Members of the staff: three employees nominated to and selected by the Senior Vice President for Operations
- Community representative nominated by the Vice President for Government & Community Affairs
- Ex Officio Members
- Chief of Police and Director of Public Safety
- Dean of Students
- Vice President and Associate Provost for Community & Inclusion
- Vice President for Campus Planning & Operations
- Member of the Office of General Counsel
Meetings
- The CSAG should meet at least twice annually.
Gathering community input
- Input from the community should be gathered continually via a webpage and other approaches.
The formation of the Community Safety Advisory Group marks a new level of community input into the processes and policies of those members of our community who dedicate themselves to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all of us and for visitors to our campuses. I look forward to working with the Group and with all of you in the years ahead.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Brown
President