Campus Safe Initiative is an organization created by Keegan Nichols, assistant vice president of Student Affairs, and Curt Brungardt, executive director of Center for Civic Leadership, in August of 2013 with the desire that Fort Hays State University will be proactive in improving campus safety.
The organization consists of a task force focused on short and long-term goals and strategies for institutional change. It’s divided into three subcommittees: assessment, education and policy.
“(The Campus Safe Initiative is) a very coherent hard working group of people,” said Christie Brungardt, co-chair of the policy committee of Campus Safe Initiative. “(It was created) because these issues are bigger than just a minor task.”
“The working group usually meets one to two times a month,” Nichols said. “The task force only meets one time a semester. We are still planning for this year.”
Although young, the organization has some lofty aspirations for the upcoming academic year.
“We’re working on several educational initiatives, and a campaign on consent education and what does consent mean,” Nichols said. “We’ve developed some brochures that are soon coming out. We’re also hoping to do some educational program on bystander training in the month of October.”
A climate survey is also being considered for immediate attention as part of the requirements of the 2013 Campus SaVE Act Federal Law, which created specific legal obligations at universities.
“Because of the new federal laws that have gone into place and that are now being enforced, every school must do a climate survey,” Christie Brungardt said. “Well, we’ve been talking about it and we’ve known we need to do it. So we’re ahead of quite a few schools. I feel like we’re far ahead of the curve in terms of these climate surveys.”
“Dr. (Curt) Brungardt is leading that initiative and it’s really important for us to get a look on the campus,” Nichols said. “So he has a graduate student, Daniel Dougherty who is mostly working on that.”
The results of the climate survey will reveal what steps the organization should take next.
“The problems should emerge through this climate survey and give us a better sense of direction on what are the things we should be working on first,” Christie Brungardt said.