Campus Police Vehicle | Photo by Soham Parikh | The Wright State Guardian
The Wright State University (WSU) Annual Fire Safety Report was issued on Dec. 22, 2020 and highlighted dwindling crime rates on the university’s Dayton campus over the past three years in nearly all categories.
Giving credit
Interim Director of Public Safety Kurt Holden says that positive community relationships play a prominent role in the university’s ability to boast much lower crime rates as compared to other universities in the area.
“I give credit to the low crime rates on campus compared to neighboring cities by the way we are proactive in educating our community through safety programs and are intentional to have and maintain wonderful working relationships with the students, staff, and faculty,” Holden said.
Holden reinforced that Wright State officers will continue to provide the community with the services and support that have allowed Raiders to feel at home on the Dayton campus even after recent consolidation efforts within the police department are finalized.
“The restructuring and reorganization under the model of a Department of Public Safety will not diminish the way we provide police services for the community,”said Holden. “The Department of Public Safety model is not going to impact the way the campus police department provides safety services to the community.”
Title IX
10 pages of the 2020 Annual Fire Safety Report cover gender based harassment and violence; a primary concern for university officials and police.
Title IX says that, “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subject to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
WSU’s Title IX Coordinator and Equity Investigator Debra Monk has been working with Title IX since her career began in 1995.
“My role was created to investigate and adjudicate reports that violate the university policy ‘Sex/Gender Harassment and Discrimination’ which includes behaviors that violate Title IX. In addition to my Title IX duties I serve as the campus instigator for any report of discrimination and harassment based on a protected class,” said Monk.
The 2020 Fire Safety Report states that, “There is no time limitation on the filing of complaints, as long as the responding party remains subject to the university’s jurisdiction or a remedy is available to the reporting party. The university encourages prompt reporting because witnesses’ memories and availability typically are better closer in time to the incident(s).”
Monk says that there are numerous ways for reports to be made to her office.
“I can be reached at my email debra.monk@wright.edu, my telephone at 937.775.3207 or those making reports may come into my office,” said Monk.
Informed community
“One of our most important tools for ensuring a safe environment is information,” said WSU in the Fire Safety Report.
Director of Residence Life and Housing Dan Bertsos echoed the importance of communication and the free flow of information amongst university officials and WSU police officers.
“We have staff on call at all times and are in constant communication and collaboration with campus law enforcement staff,” said Bertsos.
Bertsos also spoke to the university’s Simplex building alert system mentioned in the 2020 Fire Safety Report, which is designed to prompt on-campus residents to perform a certain emergency action with a pre-recorded message. Prompts include actions such as take shelter, evacuate the building, etc.
“The system has been tested, but not yet used,” said Bertsos.
For the full 2020 WSU Annual Fire Safety Report, visit: https://www.wright.edu/sites/www.wright.edu/files/page/attachments/2020-annual-security-and-fire-safety-report.pdf
