PULLMAN – Eight members of the WSU Campus Climate Response Team met in public session at the CUB Wednesday to discuss ongoing efforts to improve safety on campus, including a “safety tips educational campaign” aimed at students, faculty and staff, and parents.
“The idea is to be proactive instead of reactive,” said Steve Nakata, communication director for the Division of Student Affairs, Equity and Diversity.
In early September the team collaborated on an opinion piece for the Daily Evergreen that reminded that campus community “that Cougars take care of Cougars.” The article offered several general suggestions for contributing to a safe and healthy campus climate and promised to follow up with more specific safety tips.
Nakata said he had been in contact with John Miller, associate director of health promotion, about the possibility of incorporating the safety tips campaign into a larger initiative titled “Project Healthy Campus.” Chris Wuthrich, chair of the committee, said more work needs to be done to narrow the focus of the safety tips campaign, but the group will consider it as an action item at the next meeting.
Derick En’Wezoh, ASWSU president, discussed the upcoming safety banquet on Oct. 30, featuring an expert on preventing assaults on campus. Eleanor Finger, director of Residence Life, talked about a program her unit is sponsoring, called “Can I kiss you?” that focuses on the “permission model” for healthy dating and sexual-assault prevention. The program is set for 7 p.m. Oct. 15 in the CUB Auditorium and all are welcome.
Wuthrich, who works closely with student conduct issues, said notices would be going out this week to a random sampling of 15,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and parents associated with all WSU campuses inviting them to participate in a survey regarding the WSU Student Conduct Code. Depending on the data from the survey, Wuthrich said, the code might be revised. If so, he said, it would be available for public comment next spring and then would need to be approved by President Elson S. Floyd and the Board of Regents.
During the public comment section of the meeting, Dan Maher, coordinator of student and organizational development for Student Involvement, said he was concerned that Terrell Mall is nominally a pedestrian thoroughfare, but in fact is regularly used by vehicles.
“It’s not safe for visually impaired people on that mall,” he said. “You either have a pedestrian mall or you don’t.”
Wuthrich said he would speak to parking services and the WSU Police to find out more about enforcement policies.
While the Campus Climate Response Team meets on an as-needed basis, public sessions are scheduled every quarter. A subcommittee of the Campus Climate Response Team will be working on the safety tips campaign.
