A.S. BRIEF: 10-20-08

Browning talks campus safety
There is safety in numbers, said Police Chief John Browning, who attended last week’s Associated Students council meeting to address campus safety concerns.

A week after the tragic on-campus murder of Luis Santos, Browning proposed an assortment of tips for public safety. Invest in visible clubs for cars, walk in groups when traveling the campus at night, program the campus police number into your cell phone: (619) 594-1991 and utilize the police escort services at night. Browning also said motorcycles should be secured to security rails in the parking structures.

Campus police will be holding a Rape Aggression Defense course for women Nov. 19-21 in Cholula Hall, which is free for San Diego State students. There is a planned 911 service that will divert 911 calls made on campus to the campus dispatchers, Browning said.

The campus police are limited by budget concerns, which affects their ability to provide additional video cameras in the parking garages. However, Browning said that the campus has 35,000 very reliable surveillance eyes: that of the students. Students who report suspicious activity are invaluable in preventing crime on campus, he added.

The police and A.S. are joining together to combat auto thefts by providing more clubs for steering wheels, Browning said. This is meant both to make cars harder for thieves to steal but also as a visible sign to deter thieves. Police and A.S. will split the cost of 1,000 clubs for university students who volunteer for club training and sign a promise

Relief for Native American Student Alliance
The impecunious Native American Student Alliance will soon be feeling some relief after a recent decision by the Finance Board. The board agreed to “accelerate to the current year the $17,980 in transfers of funds to pay off a 2002-2003 powwow billing,” according to the board’s minutes.

This frees up NASA to apply for A.S. funding in the future and will allow the student organization to return to its primary goal of recruiting and representing underrepresented students.

Factors in this decision were A.S.’s commitment to promoting diversity, the lack of a proper billing policy when the incident occurred and the long absence of the original NASA members involved in the Powwow. Vice President of Finance Grant Garske said it was important to resolve the issue now, as delaying the decision would only push it further into the future, making it more difficult for future A.S. executives to understand.

-Compiled by Senior Staff Writer Justin Cooper