2019–20 Action Agenda

× October 8, 2019

Dear members of the Bard Community,
 
At several of the gatherings at the College last week, I said that the College would respond to student concerns regarding safety and security. The following is a summary of what has happened.
 
·  Security personnel: Security is adding two additional staff: an overnight supervisor and additional security guard. Job postings are listed on Bard’s website and hires will occur in the coming weeks.
 
·  Lighting: We are working on plans to upgrade campus lighting. The Council for Inclusive Excellence (CIE) has established a Safety and Security Working Group (SSWG), which consists of students, faculty, and staff, and will review the previously proposed plans to expand lighting on campus; the SSWG will consult with contractors and the Town Planning Board to implement the first phase, which involves installing additional lighting between Kline and Manor. Installation will depend on weather but the goal is to make the improvements before the end of the calendar year. The SSWG, in collaboration with the Dean of Students Office, will also conduct a survey to identify other areas on campus where lighting needs are most acute. Phase two will be in response to the needs that are identified. We will explore the possibility of replacing a number of current fixtures. We will also review the current lighting map to determine if LED replacement bulbs can be retrofitted into existing fixtures to expand the radius of light.
 
·  Cameras/Alerts/Emergency Phones: A map of 80 emergency phones has been posted on the Security website. The emergency phone map is being incorporated into the accessibility map through the implementation of Concept3D for accessibility this spring. One camera has been ordered to capture license plates on Annandale Road. The SSWG will discuss with student government, faculty, and staff the potential acquisition and implementation of further cameras on campus in nonresidential, public locations to balance security and privacy concerns. A test message for the Regroup security alert system will take place in October to remind the community about this alert system. This message is only used when a timely notice of a crime or campus alert is required. Security and IT are also exploring the acquisition of a security app that will expedite response times to on-campus emergencies. The review of this app will take place in October and November. The app should be available by the spring semester.
 
·  Transportation: Information about programs such as Night Rides and Safe Rides/Tiv-Deliv, which are committed to ensuring safe transportation to anyone feeling unsafe or uncomfortable, has been already distributed to the student body. The Student Resources Group (SRG) will review additional steps, including the potential reintroduction of Foot Patrol and the extension of hours for Night Rides and Safe Rides/Tiv-Deliv. The SRG will be given additional resources to hire and accommodate new services.
 
·  Reporting: An online reporting link was distributed last week, which enables students to report incidents directly and anonymously to Bard Security. 
 
·  On-Call Staff: Professional on-call staff including on-call administrators, counselors, and deans can be reached by calling Security 24 hours a day at 845-758-7777. Bard’s peer counseling service, BRAVE, provides anonymous peer counseling as well as medical first response through Bard EMS.  
 
 With respect to diversity and inclusion, I want to thank members of the community—students, faculty, and staff—who have been in touch with me, the Dean of the College, and several senior administrators, with concerns and suggestions. The College is dedicated to fighting prejudice and intolerance.
 
I would like to report the following:
 
·  The Dean for Inclusive Excellence. The search committee for Bard’s new Dean has conducted first-round interviews and will be bringing candidates to campus toward the end of this month.  
 
·  Online Training: The Vice President for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Student Affairs have been working with the Human Resources Office since the beginning of the academic year to identify online training resources for all faculty and staff, analogous to training in Title IX and diversity training that students currently undergo. Such training will become a regular part of staff orientation to which new and current employees have access.
 
·  In-Person Training: Several Bard administrative offices, including Admission, the Bursar’s Office, Financial Aid, and the Office of Development and Alumni/ae Affairs, as well as the Vice President/Deans Group have undergone in-person diversity and inclusion training in the last six months. Further offices, including Student Affairs, the Center for Civic Engagement, Security, and the Department of Athletics, are scheduled for training in the coming months. All major offices of the College will undergo such training by the end of the academic year.
 
·  Antidiscrimination Policy: The College’s current Title VI and Title VII policy (addressing discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or national origin) has been under review since early this fall in order to ensure that the College’s reporting and response procedures to issues related to discrimination are what they need to be. 
 
·  Faculty Initiatives: The College affirms and pledges to extend its ongoing efforts through the Office of the Dean of the College, the Center for Faculty and Curricular Development, and faculty governance to recruit and retain faculty members from underrepresented groups. Bard’s Faculty Diversity Committee and Center for Faculty and Curricular Development, as well as directors of the First-Year Seminar, L&T, and Citizen Science, will collaborate with the Office of Student Affairs to foster dialogue around difficult conversations and develop tools for instructors to respond more effectively to “hot moments” in the classroom. The Curriculum Committee will continue to work with all four divisions to review and approve courses that fulfill the College’s Difference and Justice distribution requirement. A meeting of the student government’s Educational Policies Committee with the Faculty Senate is scheduled for October 22.
 
Several other initiatives are moving forward, including continued efforts to offer students “Know Your Rights” seminars, training in community engagement and dialogue, and expanded opportunities to meet with Bard Security and local law enforcement authorities to discuss community concerns. 
  
I have appointed a standing task force composed of Bard administrators to work with the Council for Inclusive Excellence (CIE). This group will keep the community informed on a regular basis on the steps being taken during the remainder of the 2019–2020 academic year. Members of the task force are:
 
Erin Cannan (Co-chair, CIE), Vice President for Student Affairs, Dean of Civic Engagement, cannan@bard.edu
Myra Armstead (Co-Chair, CIE), Lyford Paterson Edwards and Helen Gray Edwards Professor of Historical Studies, Vice President for Academic Inclusive Excellence, armstead@bard.edu
 
Jonathan Becker, Executive Vice President; Director, Center for Civic Engagement, jbecker@bard.edu
Deidre d’Albertis, Dean of the College, dalberti@bard.edu 
Malia Du Mont, Chief of Staff to the President; Vice President for Strategy and Policy, mdumont@bard.edu
John Gomez, Director of Safety and Security, jgomez@bard.edu
Coleen Murphy Alexander, Vice President for Administration, murphy@bard.edu
Bethany Nohlgren, Dean of Students, nohlgren@bard.edu
 
The context of recent events and the tone of national politics demand that we be vigilant with respect to maintaining an environment of safety appropriate to the mission of the College. The work of both the CIE and task force are designed to help unite us against racism, intolerance, ignorance, hatred, and bigotry. We must not fall into the trap set by those who seek to divide us. It is critical that one of the central aims of the liberal arts—the promotion of understanding with regard to the historical, political, and cultural influences that inform our current moment—be sustained as we resist those who seek to intimidate and inspire fear.  
 
If any of you would like to get involved in these efforts, please contact any of the members of the task force, or the Council for Inclusive Excellence.
 
Thank you.

Cordially,

Leon Botstein