Task force chair Paul Boylan, who also serves as the dean of the School of Music and vice provost for the arts, said the task force will be split into five subcommittees. Each of the groups will focus on a specific area of the University. Areas range from reviewing the Department of Public Safety's policies to Ann Arbor's crime indexes. Boylan has selected an appropriate range of areas.
Reconvening the committee is a good idea, considering that DPS Oversight Committee was not aware of all the complaints levied against DPS. Under Michigan law, all grievances against University police departments must be open to review to oversight committees, comprised of faculty, students and staff.
Last summer, former University President James Duderstadt and Executive Vice President Farris Womack broadened the oversight committee's scope to allow it access to both "grievances" and "complaints," which until then had not been reaching the committee. An outside committee also should explore these things, which Boylan's task force plans to do
To conduct its study effectively, the task force should have access to all complaints and grievances against DPS. The oversight committee and DPS should share their records with the task force, to help give the task force a realistic idea of the community's complaints regarding DPS.
Another of the task force's groups will study the issue of harassment and conflict resolution. Internal medicine Prof. Carol Kauffman will head this subcommittee. Boylan said, "In the original study (of 1989), there seemed to be a high incident of harassment for minorities, gays and lesbians and women." The University must address these concerns - and the task force should take the issues seriously.
Another subcommittee is seeking comments from the University community about the status of campus security. Many students will undoubtedly offer comments on this issue. The committee has three students out of 14 members. While two more - bringing the total to one per subcommittee - would be nice, the presence of students is appreciated. After all, students are the best voice for their peers.
The other subcommittees will survey the safety of the campus environment since 1990 and examine Ann Arbor's indexed crime rates since 1990.
Boylan says he plans to release a report in April showing the task force's findings. Once the report is completed, the University should act quickly on the results. The University cannot afford to ignore suggestions that would improve the safety of campus.
Campus security has a large impact on student life. The task force should uncover the sources of the problems and brainstorm some suggested solutions that will maximize security and safety for the entire campus.