Inclusive Public Safety

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

Mariam Jallow
Student, Columbia College

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

Jalaj Mehta
Student, School of Engineering and Applied Science

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

Ixchel Rosal
Senior Associate Vice President for Student Life, University Life

Aandishah Samara
Student, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

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.