The Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee
On January 31, 2022, President Bollinger announced the launch of the Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee, chaired by Josef Sorett, Dean, Columbia College; Vice President for Undergraduate Education; Professor of Religion and of African American and African Diaspora Studies. Dennis Mitchell, Interim Provost, Executive Vice President for University Life and Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement, also serves on the committee in an ex-officio capacity.
Charge of the Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee
The Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee’s charge is to provide guidance to Public Safety on how to enhance their practices and policies and further foster an inclusive campus community. The Committee will meet with Public Safety representatives to discuss issues of importance to the Columbia community and make recommendations that support inclusion and belonging on Columbia’s campuses. Public Safety will work in partnership with the Advisory Committee to obtain information about campus sentiment and share relevant policy and practice changes to ensure they align with the University’s commitments to safety and anti-racism.
The 2023-2024 Members of the Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee
Chair: Melissa Begg
Dean, Professor of Social Work & Biostatistics, Columbia School of Social Work
Ex-Officio: Dennis Mitchell
Interim Provost; Executive Vice President for University Life; Senior Vice Provost for Faculty Advancement; Professor of Dental Medicine, CUMC
Ex-Officio: Donna Fenn
Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
Ex-Officio: Gerald Lewis
Vice President for Public Safety
Phoebe-Sade Arnold
Director, Community Affairs
Jorge Farina
Executive Director, IT and Projects, Department of Public Safety
Sandra Bernal Garcia
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Mailman School of Public Health
Sandra Harris
Associate Vice President, Government and Community Affairs, CUIMC
Diana Hernandez
Associate Professor of Sociomedical Sciences, Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health
Qixiang (Henry) Hu
Student, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science
Mariam Jallow
Student, Columbia College
Arden Lee
Student, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Helen Lien
Student, School of International and Public Affairs
Karma Lowe
Senior Associate Dean for DEI, Enrollment and Community Engagement, Columbia School of Social Work
Maria Martinez
Student, Columbia College
Patrick Oakley
Director, Morningside Operations, Department of Public Safety
Matthew Patashnick
Associate Dean for Student and Family Support, Columbia College/School of Engineering and Applied Science
Stephanie Pierre
Student, School of General Studies
Ixchel Rosal
Senior Associate Vice President for Student Life, University Life
Jada Sherrod
Student, Mailman School of Public Health
Tamesha Steward
Manager for Training and Development, Public Safety
Will Turner
Associate Professor of Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center; Assistant Dean for Student Affairs, Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
Zeji (Alan) Wang
Student, School of Professional Studies
Janie Zhang
Student, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science; Representative, Engineering Student Council
Inclusive Public Safety Advisory Committee
History of Inclusive Public Safety
In 2020, Columbia’s Working Group on Inclusive Public Safety began its work, focusing on creating an inclusive and equitable campus community. As an extension of Columbia's work to fulfill its commitment on anti-racism, the group’s charge was to recommend concrete strategies for ensuring we have inclusive safety for all on Columbia’s campuses. The working group was comprised of students, staff and faculty from both the Morningside and Medical Center campuses who collaborated with leadership from the Department of Public Safety.
Throughout Fall 2020, the working group diligently engaged the community, examined existing trainings and practices, and explored the definition of inclusive public safety.
To learn more about the group, read the initial announcement.
Inclusive Public Safety Working Group
Suzanne Goldberg
Former Executive Vice President for University Life
Herbert and Doris Wechsler Clinical Professor of Law, Director of the Sexuality and Gender Law Clinic, Columbia Law School
Flores Forbes
Associate Vice President, Government & Community Affairs
Adjunct Associate Professor of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Jim McShane
Vice President, Public Safety
Al Becker**
Executive Director, Finance and Administration, Public Safety
Amador Centeno
Senior Vice President, Facilities Management, Operations and Planning, CUIMC Vice Dean for Student Services, CUIMC
Milagro Chavez-Cisneros
Student, Columbia College
Matthew Childress**
Assistant Director, Training and Development, Public Safety
Eder Colecio
Student, Mailman School of Public Health
Jarrell Daniels*
Student, School of General Studies
Program Manager, Justice Ambassadors Youth Council in the Center for Justice
Aryn Davis
Student, Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science President, Black Students Organization (BSO)
Marlyn Delva
Dean of Students, School of General Studies
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Epidemiology and Sociomedical Sciences, Mailman School of Public Health
John Donaldson
Mario J. Gabelli Professor of Finance Columbia Business School
Jorge Farina
Executive Director, Technology, Public Safety
Rawda Fawaz*
Student, Columbia Law School
Member, Black Law Students Association
Former co-president, Muslim Law Students Association
Donna Fenn
Associate General Counsel, Office of the General Counsel
Deidre Fuchs
Executive Director, Investigations, Public Safety
Sandi Garcia
Associate Dean for Student Affairs, Mailman School Public Health
Jeannine Jennette
Executive Director, CUMC Operations, Public Safety
Cristen Kromm
Dean of Undergraduate Student Life, Columbia College and SEAS
Steven Lee-Kong
Assistant Professor of Surgery, CUIMC
Karma Lowe
Assistant Dean, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, School of Social Work
Laila Maher
Dean of Student & Alumni Affairs, School of the Arts
Noelia Mann
Student, School of Social Work
Ogo Okolo
Student, College of Physicians & Surgeons
Member, Black and Latino Student Organization (BALSO)
Matthew Patashnick
Associate Dean for Student and Family Support, Columbia College and SEAS
Radhika Patel
Chief of Staff, University Life
Ethelyn Pugh
Student, School of Social Work
Yadira Ramos-Herbert
Assistant Dean and Dean of Students, Columbia Law School
Ixchel Rosal
Associate Vice President, Student Life, University Life
Josef Sorett
Professor of Religion and of African American and African Diaspora Studies Chair, Department of Religion
Tamesha Steward**
Manager, Training, Public Safety
Susan Sturm
George M. Jaffin Professor of Law and Social Responsibility, Columbia Law School Provost's Senior Faculty Teaching Scholar
Wes Vear
Student, College of Physicians & Surgeons
Alex Whelan
Time Based Media Metadata Librarian Columbia University Libraries
* Indicates a member of the group who had to resign due to other obligations
** Members of Public Safety who are participating in the Training and Other Capacity Building subcommittee
- September 11, 2020 — Attendees discussed the group's charge, goals, meeting structure and deliverables.
- September 25, 2020 — Attendees welcomed new committee members, discussed the work of Public Safety, including elements of inclusive public safety, and decided on three subcommittees: data gathering, comparative research and training.
- October 9, 2020 — Attendees viewed a presentation from Public Safety, introduced a working draft on defining Inclusive Public Safety, and the three subcommittees discussed data-gathering, comparative research, training and capacity building.
- October 23, 2020 — Attendees discussed the definition of Inclusive Public Safety, heard brief reports from subcommittee chairs and had separate subcommittee meetings.
- November 6, 2020 — Attendees heard brief reports from each subcommittee, and the remainder of the meeting was spent in subcommittee break-outs.
- November 20, 2020 — Attendees heard brief reports from subcommittee chairs, planned their December report and spent time in subcommittee discussions.
- December 4, 2020 — Attendees heard brief reports from subcommittee chairs and reviewed the December report draft.
- February 12, 2021 — Attendees discussed Spring 2021 planning and timeline, the definition of Inclusive Public Safety and addressing wellness checks.
- February 26, 2021 — Attendees heard a presentation on training, updates on Diversity Commission and met in Subcommittee breakouts.