Congress Update

by Kaitlyn Hladik '25 on October 11, 2022
News Staff


Uncategorized


On Sept. 20, Student Congress welcomed Head of Public Safety Chief Chad Carnegie to our General Assembly meeting to provide updates on the advancements of his department as well as answer questions posed by our members.

His updates included that a new public safety officer began working on September 26th, and six more are anticipated to start soon. The Eaton Street gate is now staffed from Thursday to Saturday. A weather alert system is now in place to keep students informed. They have been working on improving community relations and outreach through the hiring of Lieutenant Dunbar. Finally, the Friar Student Safety Advisory Board is coming in October 2022, which will allow students to meet with Public Safety officers and have conversations about their experiences on campus, what they are exposed to, and suggestions about how Public Safety can improve.

One member asked Carnegie about the rationale behind why students living off campus with on campus parking approval cannot access campus through the Fennell gate. Carnegie said that they are looking into conducting a parking study that will give them information about how they can make transportation around campus and parking the most efficient, and that he can speak with the transportation office about granting card access at Fennel. For now, it will maintain its buzz-in intercom system. He also informed us that the construction of a 3-story parking garage behind the ice rink is soon to begin.

Another member asked what the office’s plans were to protect students as the time of year of increased off campus activity approaches. To this, he said that officers will no longer be only driving cars but will be on foot walking around campus, through buildings, etc. Lt. Dunbar is also working closely with off campus housing to stay informed about any off campus incidents that may occur.

One member asked if the College’s Public Safety Office provides support for its staff who are dealing with mental health crises/traumatic events they experience on campus. Carnegie responded with an honest “no,” saying this was something that was brought to his attention recently and he will now make it a priority. He also mentioned that next week, four officers will be sent to crisis intervention training that will help with this issue.

A member curious about the physical Public Safety office asked about plans for the department to move. Carnegie responded “yes.” As of right now, it will be moving to the space between Ray and the mailroom, but that is yet to be finalized.

A final member asked how, as chief of the department, Carnegie holds public safety officers accountable for their actions, to which he answered that he does not accept any mistreatment or prejudice towards anyone within the PC community. If students feel they have experienced discrimination, they may email him about their experience or fill out a bias or complaint form that is on their website.

Student Congress would like to thank Chief Carnegie for his time and welcome him back for future meetings and projects.

The following week, on Sept. 27, Student Congress heard from the presenters for PC’s Hellenic Society Club. They shared that their mission is to promote and foster Greek culture on campus as well as connect people of Greek background and those interested in Greek culture.

Their goal is to foster Hellenism through social activities like a Greek night, cultural events from local Greek heritage groups, as well as charity events and academic lectures on Greek history, politics, and culture.

The club is open to all members of the student body. Thus far, they have gauged interest at the involvement fair and through social media.