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Evolving Campus Safety

The Campaign for Smith

Smith College is embarking on a year-long, community-focused process to re-envision the leadership and structure of campus safety. Updates, including schedules for listening and feedback sessions, will be collected on this site. 

Feedback Sessions Report

Beginning in September 2019, the ad-hoc Campus Safety Advisory Group (CSAG), along with consultants from D.Stafford and Associates, began collecting feedback from students, staff and faculty in a community-focused process to re-envision the model of campus safety. Feedback continues to be collected through a dedicated email address, an anonymous form and a series of listening sessions and focus groups.


Give Feedback

The Ad Hoc Campus Safety Advisory Group invites any member of the Smith community to provide feedback by emailing campussafetyfeedback@smith.edu.


Open Forums

In additon to a number of scheduled meetings with student, staff and faculty groups, the Ad Hoc Campus Safety Advisory Group held three open forums for the Smith community. 

  • Tuesday, October 8, 4 to 5 p.m.
  • Wednesday, October 9, 7 to 8 p.m.
  • Thursday, October 10, 12:15 to 1:15 p.m.

Ad Hoc Campus Safety Advisory Group

Charge

Smith College is committed to providing a safe and welcoming campus environment for all of its community members. The Ad Hoc Campus Safety Advisory Group will shape and guide a community-focused process to re-envision an independent Smith College model for campus safety.

The group is charged with overseeing and supporting the process to re-envision a model for campus safety at Smith. The group will oversee and advise an external consultant, who will:

  • Assess the current campus safety environment
  • Conduct a needs assessment
  • Develop a plan for the college’s independent campus safety organization

The group will make recommendations to the vice president for finance and administration and the president, who will make final the final decision on the future direction of campus safety at Smith.

Guiding Principles

The Ad Hoc Campus Safety Advisory Group is committed to an inclusive, responsive, transparent and timely process that embraces a free and open exchange on the future of campus safety at Smith.

  • An inclusive process: We commit to ensuring that every student and employee will be given multiple opportunities to engage with the re-envisioning process.
  • A responsive process: Our recommendations will be informed by feedback from and engagement with the Smith campus community.
  • A transparent process: We will consistently and clearly communicate the status of our work in a way that is accessible to every member of the Smith campus community. 
  • A timely process: We will work toward having a fully operational independent Smith College campus safety department by July 1, 2020.

Membership

  • James Gray, Associate Vice President for Facilities and Operations (co-chair)
  • Julianne Ohotnicky, Associate Dean of the College/Dean of Students (co-chair)
  • Jeremy Kenneson, Interim Director of Campus Safety
  • Kris Evans, Associate Director of Counseling Services
  • Raven Folks-Witten, Program and Outreach Coordinator, Office for Equity and Inclusion
  • Hannah Karpman, Assistant Professor, School for Social Work
  • Jen Malkowski, Associate Professor, Film and Media Studies
  • Ann Mayo, Manager of Security and Guest Services, Museum of Fine Art
  • Alta Stark, Director of Internal Communications and College Relations
  • Sheher-Bano Ahmed ’24
  • Mary Virginia Huffaker ’25