Saftey in South O

I met with chief Delaney last week.

The meeting was extremely productive. Chief Delaney is well aware of the need for a greater attention to security in South Oakland and is in full support of implementation of blue lights and security cameras.

I also met with Logistics coordinator Josh Cochran. This is the person who would actually be in charge of the construction and physical implementation of blue lights and security cameras. We discussed the feasibility of implementation of blue lights in South Oakland and how the Pitt Police have implemented them in the past.

After this meeting I can say with confidence that I have the support of the Chief and the Pitt Police in this project. The Pitt police are given their budget in June. Knowing that I have their support, the real issue is obtaining the money for the project from the University.

I plan on taking a very active role in the lobbying process for the Pitt Police’s budget. Now that I kind of have everything squared away with the Pitt Police, I plan on meeting with the University officials and administrators responsible for delegating the Pitt Police’s budget.

Throughout my years at Pitt it has become clear that many students have concerns with safety in South Oakland. Many students are forced to live there because the University cannot offer guaranteed housing. These concerns became increasingly apparent through the election, when I ran and was elected on this platform. I want to convey this to the University officials who write the budget for the Pitt Police. It is crucial that these University administrators comprehend the student’s desire for a greater attention to safety in South Oakland. I will continue to lobby for greater funding to the Pitt Police for the implementation of the blue light system and security cameras in South Oakland.

Of course, there are other stumbling points, such as the expensive process of wiring the lights, uprooting the sidewalk, etc, but originally it was thought unfeasible and financially impossible to install the blue light system on certain areas of upper campus. Action needs to be taken, steps need to be made towards a safer South Oakland. And I….will take that action.

First Post: Office Hours and Board Project Updates

Greetings Pitt Students!

Thank you for taking the time to check my blog. My office hours are as follows:

Monday 2-3
Tuesday 3-6
Wednesday 2-3
Thursday 4-6
Friday 12-3

Please feel free to stop by to discuss any concerns you have as a Pitt student so I can work as an effective liaison to the administration. I have been working on several projects this week.

1) I spoke to Ryan Bay, president of Student Government at University of Florida (the largest Student Government in the nation) about their successful implementation of blue lights and other projects pertaining to campus safety. I hope to model my project after theirs.

2) I spoke to Jonathan Kassa of www.securityoncampus.org, the largest advocacy group for campus safety in the nation, about bringing National Campus Safety month to Pitt. I will work in conjunction with securityoncampus.org to bring programming during the month of September. I will coordinate this through the Program Director of securityoncampus.org

3) I set up a meeting with Pitt police chief Delaney to discuss my board projects pertaining to campus safety.

4) I learned that every University is required by law to provide crime statistics to their students. I plan on presenting this information to the Student Body at our next meeting and encouraging them to obtain these statistics and increase awareness.

5) I also plan on urging all students to register at www.citizensobserver.com, a free service that provides updates and alerts concerning crime in our local area.

There is a possibility that I will be performing in the Black Action Society talent show on Friday. I encourage all to attend.

Thank you very much for stopping by! Please keep in touch.

Ryan Very
Student Government Board Member
rdv3@pitt.edu

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"Do not enjoy yourself in the art, enjoy the art in yourself."