A new U student-formed and -led group is working to improve mental health, dating culture, student/police communication, and other campus safety issues. Students for Action Focused Empowerment (SAFE) launched last year and meets twice monthly with students and faculty advisors.
Chris Linder from the College of Education will help support violence prevention and education efforts as part of a one-year assignment. Linder researches sexual violence on college campuses. She is advising leaders on issues surrounding intimate partner violence, as well as working to improve information-sharing across campus and community.
As the U’s first chief safety officer, Marlon C. Lynch oversees and coordinates all campus safety initiatives and supervises the Department of Public Safety. He comes most recently from New York University, where he was senior vice president for campus services and safety. Prior to that, he served as the police chief at three universities.
Rodney Chatman was selected to serve as the U’s new chief of police after a rigorous nationwide search that included 50 applicants. He was most recently the chief of police at the University of Dayton in Ohio. His ultimate goal is to build greater trust between the police and the community, he says.
I graduated from the UofU in 1973 with a BS in Biology. I was the first industrial hygienist hired at the UofU in the Dept. of Public Safety in March of 1981. I took classes towards a Master’s Degree in Industrial Hygiene at the RMCOEH at UMC. I left in August 1989 and Mr. Jeff Throckmorton replaced me. The head of the Dept. of Public Safety during my tenure was Wayne Shepherd, Chief of Police. These were the early days for worker safety and health with the UofU trying to catch up to the new requirements of OSHA and EPA. In fact, Dry Canyon had just been retired as the “disposal site” for chemical waste from the numerous science departments on both lower and upper campus as well as UMC. Many stories to tell!! Best regards, Ed Beck, CIH, CSP, retired.