By Myara Gomez
Staff Writer
As of March 1, recognized student organizations will no longer be charged for campus police services. The College has decided to start covering these costs to ensure safety of the campus community. Funds from RSOs who have already paid for these services this semester will be reallocated to a general pool to be used for other events this semester.
RSO’s still have access to the same quality services; the only difference is that the College is now covering the cost by providing a budget to Campus Police, with the cost depending on factors such as attendance, location and length of event.
Campus Police Chief Timothy Grant said that event security itself depends on various factors, including the size of the event, use of parking lots, traffic, potential security threats, and the duration and location of the event. The fee, which the College will now pay, also changes depending on the rank of the officer on duty.
“The average hourly rate of $60 was added through the booking process to the organization’s event so event planners had an idea of how much to expect prior to their event, and the exact amount was billed after,” said Jennifer Simon, assistant director of student life. “Prior to this decision, RSOs could request funding from SFB to cover Campus Police costs or could use their fundraising dollars.”
However, these rates are now being covered by the College. Even though the fees are no longer the RSOs’ responsibility, student organizations still need to provide proper notice and planning.
“As part of an overall plan to increase administrative and fiscal efficiency, rather than billing organizations for individual events, the College will provide Campus Police with the budget line to cover costs,” said Chief Grant.
This decision will allow student organizations to freely plan their events without having to worry about the costs for security. Simon said that a committee met and discussed the plan thoroughly during the fall semester. This is where they decided that removing the fee would ensure the safety of students and the overall campus community.
Events that were taking place after March 1 were not charged a fee. If the event took place prior to the announcement, these fees were removed and placed into a general pool. According to Simon, any money that SFB had allocated for campus police services went back into a general pool to be used by RSOs that need funding for events the rest of this semester.
“This change provides RSOs with the ability to plan and host events in a way that puts safety at the forefront of their planning process, without having to stress about costs,” said Simon. “Student Life, Campus Police and College administration will continue to work together to be as transparent as possible in this process. We are excited about the possibilities that this decision has opened for RSOs and appreciate the support of campus partners including Campus Police."
