There are few things more important on a college campus than a healthy relationship between students and campus safety officers, and Student Association’s Diversity Week is an opportunity to promote that relationship at Syracuse University.

Diversity Week will feature a partnership between SA and the Department of Public Safety that was designed to encourage interaction between students and DPS to educate the student body about resources offered by DPS. The week will feature an event where students can throw a pie at a DPS officer’s face. All donations from the event will go to the Dunbar Center, which aims to break the cycle of generational poverty and develop racial equality in Syracuse.

Amid tension between citizens and police officers across the country, it’s important that DPS strives to build a greater sense of trust with the SU campus community. Any event that promotes engagement between students and DPS officers helps students get their questions and concerns addressed, and it also helps officers clarify their roles.

The SA Facebook page has only advertised one event this academic year involving a forum with DPS. While these forums likely aren’t the most popular even, they should be given just as much attention as any other event. It’s important SA promotes these events. They play an important role in maintaining peace by creating a proactive dialogue on campus.

DPS Chief Bobby Maldonado said open communication between university officials and the student body is key.

“The best way to improve relationships between the Department of Public Safety and students is communications,” Maldonado said. “Being able to not only communicate with them but communicate frequently, because if the only time we communicate is when things are strained, then you’re not really going to get an awful lot accomplished.”

Maldonado said DPS continually welcomes events with students as a means of improving these relationships. Maldonado referred to the department as a “peacekeeping” unit as opposed to a “crime-fighting” one, and said it’s important students see DPS officers outside of just responding to a call for service.

All relationships need consistent maintenance, including those between students and campus safety officers. SA should prioritize and further promote DPS forums to further those lines of communication and ensure the SU community is not only safe, but also engaged and proactive with those who police it.

Daniel Loftus is a freshman broadcast and digital journalism major. His column appears biweekly. He can be reached at dploftus@syr.edu and followed on Twitter @danielploftus.

Published on March 26, 2018 at 8:56 pm