Starting its first full year of operation with newly announced members, the Police Student Advisory Board is aiming this semester to continue to improve relations between the Miami University Police Department (MUPD) and the student body.
The Police Student Advisory Board is a panel designed to discuss issues on campus and act as a resource for students who do not feel comfortable contacting the police directly.
Created at the end of the 2006 fall semester, this will be the first full school year in the board's operation.
The idea for the board was conceived by MUPD Chief John McCandless to help work toward President David Hodge's vision of having a more engaged university, said Captain Jason Willis, the person who made the concept of a board a reality.
Willis explained that the board was not created in response to bad relations between students and the police-he said this negative attitude is a misconception.
"We go to residence halls to talk to students, and we try to be approachable to all the individuals on campus," Willis said.
Rather, Willis said the board was created to help MUPD gain feedback from students about the perception of the police on campus, how to improve relations and effectiveness, as well as discuss events on campus in which both the police and students are involved.
In addition, at each meeting, members from different police departments come and speak to the board about the different facets of their department. The new knowledge the board members acquired has helped the police department.
According to Willis, the campus police Web site was improved and some of the community relations programs were altered because of board member feedback and suggestions during the first semester of the program.
Besides the board members, the campus police also actively seek advice from the student body about how they could better their department. For the past three summers, they have sent surveys to students in an effort to help improve community relations. The response has been overwhelmingly positive, but some students are still afraid to approach officers. Several of the board members said they believe this fear stems from the negative portrayal of the police.
"Too many Miami students only have interactions with the police when they are being held responsible for their poorly guided actions," said Brendan Buholzer, a Miami senior and advisory board member said via e-mail.
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Both the students on the board and the MUPD hope to break this image through interaction and discussion in the community. They want students to be able to contact the department directly about issues, but for those who are reluctant to approach the police, members of the board are willing to express the concerns in meetings, according to members.
Although the Police Student Advisory Board is a forum for the police to gain input, it does not mean that students cannot directly contact campus police. The board was formed just as a forum to encourage students to give the police their opinions in a less intimidating way, according to Willis.
Current students are finding this an interesting idea.
"I've never had a reason to approach the police, but if I did, I think I would feel more comfortable e-mailing a board member than talking to a police officer," said Elana Winget, a Miami sophomore.
The board currently has 11 students ranging from sophomores to seniors. Each individual was nominated by a teacher or administrator and then offered an invitation by either McCandless or Willis. Students are allowed to remain on the board until they leave Miami. Graduating seniors are asked to nominate two students, but the advisory board will be capped at 12 members help keep the meetings more effective.
"We are fortunate to have members who care about the community as much as we do," Willis said. "Each student has a busy schedule but they all dedicate themselves to the board."
To contact the current Police Student Advisory Members, the student e-mail addresses are listed under the "Police Student Advisory Members" link on the "Community Policing" section of the police department's Web site.
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