Since the release of the Campus Safety Services Audit Report last month, we have reached an important new chapter in how we serve and care for all members of the University community. The Jesuit principle of cura personalis is at the heart of our educational enterprise. This means caring for each person in their uniqueness in mind, body, and spirit. Nurturing this commitment requires empathy, collaborative openness, and good will. The Audit Report and its recommendations present tangible ways to nurture these values. The recommendations clearly point in the direction of significant structural and substantive change. We welcome this opportunity to change, transform and grow together.
The primary purpose of this message is to announce changes in response to the recommendations of the Audit Report, but I want to make it clear that the transformative change that we need is not just about one audit, one unit, or a few organizational changes. Many of you understand and agree that this is one piece of our shared larger commitment to cultural and institutional shifts to make Santa Clara a truly inclusive, just, antiracist and restorative place of belonging. Each of us has a role in the change we want to see.
From the time I shared the report on January 7, I have listened carefully to members of our community. I gathered considerable feedback regarding the audit’s recommendations from multiple groups including Faculty Senate, Staff Senate, Associated Student Government, the University Coordinating Committee (UCC), the Board of Trustees, and Campus Safety Services (CSS) staff. I have also received feedback through the faculty, staff, and student surveys and other communications. The feedback is comprehensive, thoughtful, at times complex, and thoroughly illuminating. We have begun the groundwork, and I share with you below my decisions on the audit’s recommendations and give you a preview of the changes to come.
As a reminder, the Audit Report had one overarching recommendation and 22 operational recommendations.
Recommendation #1: Reimagine Campus Safety Services Utilizing a Holistic Approach
“There should be a new and different approach to campus safety at Santa Clara University, beginning with a transition to a reimagined department that is operated under the auspices of the Division of Student Life.” (Judge LaDoris Cordell (ret.), CSS Audit Report)
I support the recommendation to transition the Department of Campus Safety Services to the Division of Student Life under the leadership of the Vice Provost for Student Life, Jeanne Rosenberger. The transition will begin on March 1, 2021 to be fully completed by July 1, 2021, with the exception of the Office of Emergency Management which will remain in the Finance and Administration Division to ensure already established effectiveness and continuity in our emergency planning. The transition will not be simple, as cultural and organizational change requires care and attentiveness in building a team, refining a vision, and identifying a plan to implement that vision. We will approach this as a collaborative endeavor, with Campus Safety Services and the Division of Student Life working closely together to fulfill the vision.
With this re-imagining and restructuring, we have sought and will continue to gather information from other colleges and universities, including two local institutions that have adopted a similar model: the University of San Francisco and St. Mary’s College. Over the past few weeks I have consulted with presidents at other Jesuit institutions where the campus safety function already reports to student life organizations. All spoke favorably about the model and how it serves the entire community, particularly in offering greater depth in training and building relationships of trust, so that Campus Safety Services staff are viewed not as enforcers but as partners in student development and care for the entire community.
Some have questioned whether moving to such a model will shift our priority away from safety and to a department that focuses solely on students rather than the larger community. This organizational shift in no way jeopardizes our commitment to provide for the safety of our entire community. The well-being and safety of all community members - faculty, staff, students and campus guests - continue to be a paramount concern. However, by adopting this model, we expand our understanding of safety to include fostering student wellness and belonging for all on campus.
Recommendation #2: Recommendations for the Operation of a Reimagined Campus Safety Department
I also endorse all of the recommendations related to the operations of Campus Safety Services, noting that the recommendation regarding room searches needs additional study. The discontinuation of room searches by Campus Safety Services requires careful planning to ensure that an alternative process is in place if/when a room search is warranted. The subject of room searches will be considered early in the transition to the Division of Student Life.
I entrust the specifics of the recommendations’ prioritization and implementation to the careful judgment and deep commitment of Vice Provost Rosenberger and her team. With a framework of March 1 to July 1 for the transition, amidst COVID-19 and all their other high-priority tasks, I am grateful to Vice Provost Rosenberger and the staffs of the Division of Student Life, Campus Safety Services, and other community partners in moving this process forward expeditiously. I have heard the sense of urgency expressed by many of you. Vice Provost Rosenberger will provide updates on the progress of this transition, which furthers my priority of fostering transparency and accountability across the University.
Additional recommendations were also offered during the course of the feedback process, including a suggestion from Campus Safety Services and others to institute a Campus Safety Advisory Board. This and all of the very helpful other recommendations I have received to date will be shared with Vice Provost Rosenberger to consider as part of the transition and implementation stage.
As I reflect on the audit and my conversations over the last month, I am both hopeful and committed. In naming what we do well and where we fall short, we chart a concrete and creative path forward that can strengthen our community and bring us together in new ways. I acknowledge there is much work ahead both in implementing the recommendations and restoring relationships. But this is labor well spent so we can realize the community we want to be.
In gratitude and hope,
Kevin F. O'Brien, S.J.
President