Department of Public Safety officials discussed protocols and addressed safety concerns raised by students with members of the Student Association at Monday night’s meeting.

SA President Dylan Lustig said it is important for students to be aware of the different ways DPS officers can help them.

‘They’re really great with working with students — phenomenal with working with students,’ said Lustig in an interview after the meeting. ‘It’s a relationship that I only want to build.’

Public Information Officer Jenn Horvath and Cpl. Joe Shanley represented DPS at the SA general assembly meeting held at 7:30 p.m. in Maxwell Auditorium.

Horvath first defined the differences between Shuttle-U-Home, Shuttle 44 and Late Night Shuttle.

Shuttle-U-Home departs from 019 Watson Hall and requires a student to show his or her SUID to be dropped back at his or her place of residence, she said. On the other hand, Shuttle 44 comes to the student and drives him or her back to an academic building or home.

The Late Night Orange Express is a service intended to fill in the gaps when Centro’s bus services end at 3:30 a.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. The shuttle bus is operated by Caz Limo & Tour and makes two large loops across campus, Horvath said.

Horvath also discussed student concerns regarding the lack of Blue Light Alarm Systems in some areas, especially on land not owned by Syracuse University. She said DPS receives a lot of student feedback about the lack of blue lights on areas surrounding campus, especially in the Walnut Park area.

DPS is working to put patrol officers in areas where blue lights are not viable options, Horvath said. The lights cannot be placed in certain locations because they are not owned by the university.

In response to concerns about theft in buildings like Slocum Hall, the officers said closed-circuit television cameras do exist in these areas, and though they are not perfect, they can help identify a suspect.

Although security systems exist, Shanley urged students to be diligent in guarding their possessions.

‘Most of these things are done by some of your own students, really,’ he said. ‘It’s not some stranger coming into the building.’

Later in the meeting, seven candidates appeared in front of the general assembly to run for positions on the Finance Board. Six members were approved, leaving one remaining seat open on the 10-person board.

Seven candidates ran for a seat on the general assembly. Six of the candidates were confirmed.

Four candidates running for the College of Arts and Sciences representative positions competed for two seats. To accommodate for the addition of a third new Arts and Sciences representative, Senior Adviser Bonnie Kong voluntarily resigned from her position after three and a half years in SA.

‘I’ve been involved with SA since the first week of my freshman year,’ she said. ‘I think I’ve given my all, and there’s obviously new students coming in, so I just wanted to give other students the chance I’ve had these past few years.’

The general assembly gave Kong two separate and sustained standing ovations after her announcement.

Lustig said though he is going to miss Kong’s unique voice in the general assembly, he felt the act was very selfless.

‘I think it was very noble of her to do that. And I commend her for that, and I respect her for that,’ he said.

Kong will continue to hold her position as a University Senator and senior adviser in SA.

Other business discussed:

• Student Life Committee Chair PJ Alampi introduced the draft of a letter SA is writing to show support for the SU Muslim Students Association in wake of the news that the New York Police Department monitored Muslim students at colleges across the nation, including SU.

• Three special programming bills, which totaled $3,996.00, were passed Monday night.

dmsegelb@syr.edu 

Published on February 27, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Dylan: dmsegelb@syr.edu | @dylan_segelbaum