Boston University is making headway on the formation of its recently announced Community Safety Advisory Group that will scrutinize campus police and its relations to the University and Boston.
President Robert Brown had announced via email June 23 the creation of the group, which he wrote should help foster a safe environment for the BU community.
Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore and Dean of the School of Law Angela Onwuachi-Willig are heading the committee of staff and students.
Onwuachi-Willig said the group is meant to help cultivate a welcoming and protective environment for all members of the BU community.
“The purpose of it is for us to work together as a community to really step back and look at all of our policies and practices,” Onwuachi-Willig said. “And think about, ‘How can they be among the most just and the fairest and most thoughtful practices that don’t reify racism and other kinds of isms in ways that we don’t want them to be reinforced.’”
The group will work in collaboration with the BU Police Department, but Onwuachi-Willig said that will not be its only function.
The goal, she said, is to look at what is happening within the community beyond what’s present on campus.
“I think any university just can’t simply look at what’s going on campus,” Onwuachi-Willig said. “That has to involve at least thought, if not input, from outside the Boston University community.”
Elmore said he has taken notice of students’ social media posts asking for BU to defund or cut ties with both BUPD and the Boston Police Department. He said the committee is not so much a partnership with BUPD as it is an examination of its operations.
“One of the things we’ve got to make sure we also understand is we don’t control the Boston Police,” Elmore said. “But we do control the Boston University Police and its relationships with [surrounding] police departments.”
The advisory group, Elmore said, gives the University an opportunity to analyze what those relationships are, as well as assess what they could and should be.
The deans said they have begun the process of searching and nominating members for the Community Safety Advisory Group, but have not confirmed their selection yet. The initiative is still in its beginning stages.
Onwuachi-Willig said members selected will reflect the diverse community at BU.
Another major component of the group will be student consultation, Elmore said.
“I think the overwhelming membership will be students,” Elmore said. “I don’t want to disregard faculty and staff, but a lot of the people that the police interact with are students. They are here to serve students.”
Onwuachi-Willig said she hopes students continue to reach out to her or Elmore to self-nominate or nominate others for the group, as well as to give advice or suggest topics for the group to tackle. As this is a “community effort,” she said those from outside the committee are free to send in suggestions.
“Even if someone is not ultimately selected to be on the committee, nothing prevents them from sending ideas to the community,” she said. “If you have good ideas, you should still be sending.”
Elmore said he is pleased to have already heard from numerous students asking to be on the committee or offering advice.
“We’ve had plenty of people writing to us,” Elmore said. “We can’t get back to everyone but I’ve had a fair number of conversations, and we’re about to have a fair number of conversations with people who’ve expressed interest.”
While there are no set numbers for the amount of committee members, Elmore said he intends to ensure student organizations are represented. The group may also choose to roll out a membership application in the future, he said.
Elmore and Owuachi-Willig are not tasked with setting up the group in its entirety — the job is ultimately left to Brown — but they plan to have a report to hand to the president by summer’s end.
Elmore said he has taken notice of students’ social media posts asking for BU to defund or cut ties with both BUPD and the Boston Police Department.
^. That is insane – who would protect my daughter if this happens ? If SO many students want it, does she need to bring a weapon to school now? Are their going to be riots over this? If this “committee” is something that will result in defunding the police, students should be able to leave the school with tuition reimbursement. The primary job of this school is to protect our children. If that protection is taken away, what do you think students will do — find a way to protect themselves by means that will not be pretty.