Dear Friends,
Several weeks ago, representatives of the LaGuardia PSC chapter, led by Professor Laura Tanenbaum, met with me to discuss their concerns about the way Public Safety had responded to an incident of inappropriate behavior by a student. Professor Tanenbaum and her colleagues made several important points, including their observation that when Public Safety officers seek out and remove a student from a classroom it can become a disruptive and stressful situation. They also noted that we are, unfortunately, living in times of heightened anxiety for many of our students, and that their stress can be exacerbated by encounters with Public Safety officers or law enforcement personnel.
With this in mind I am pleased to inform you of some changes to our policies regarding interactions between LaGuardia Public Safety officers and our students.
Effective immediately, Public Safety will only remove a student from a classroom when there is an immediate threat of potential harm to a member of the campus community, including other students in the class, the instructor, or the student themself. In addition, Public Safety officers will no longer wait outside classrooms to question students in non-emergency situations.
Reports of inappropriate student behavior made to Public Safety will be forwarded to Dr. Alexis McLean, VP of Student Affairs. She or her designee will seek out the student(s) for questioning and will investigate allegations of violations of the Student Code of Conduct. As always, allegations of sexual misconduct, retaliation, and discrimination will be pursued by Sabine Rospide, Interim Chief Diversity Officer, and her colleagues in the Office of Compliance and Diversity.
Please note that this new approach, which is intended to reduce Public Safety’s interactions with students in classrooms, only applies to our LaGuardia Public Safety colleagues; officers of public law enforcement agencies, such as the NYPD or ICE, may remove a student from a classroom in an emergency situation and/or pursuant to a judicial warrant, per CUNY policy.
I wish to thank the LaGuardia PSC chapter for bringing its concerns to my attention. And I am grateful to SVP for Administration and Finance, Shahir Erfan, Director of Public Safety, Yvonne Gaul, and Student Affairs VP, Alexis McLean for their guidance and assistance in this matter.
Best wishes,
Kenneth Adams
President