Safety and Security Task Force Launches Several Initiatives

Campus Community

Dr. Joanne Smith, Vice President for Student Affairs | September 12, 2019

Throughout the summer, I chaired a Safety and Security Task Force convened by President Trauth and comprised of Texas State University staff, faculty and student government representatives. The two-fold mission of the task force was to enact initiatives that enhance campus safety and find ways to inform our university community of the safety programs and measures already available.  

I’m excited to share information about several of the task force’s initiatives that are underway or near launch. 

1. A new SAFE RIDE program will start in late September for students, faculty or staff who need a ride on the San Marcos Campus after bus service stops daily at 10:30 p.m. The SAFE RIDE van will run seven days a week until 7 a.m. and will be driven by University Police Department guards. The program features a tap ride app (similar to the current bus app) to request a ride from designated pick-up areas. SAFE RIDE will not replace Bobcat Bobbies who provide escorts via golf carts on the San Marcos Campus from dusk until 1 a.m., or the security escort service provided by UPD from 1 am. until dawn. All current security escorts will continue in addition to SAFE RIDE. UPD will be sharing more information with our community about the launch of SAFE RIDE.
2. Texas State is in the final stages of completing a three-year outdoor lighting project that includes several hundred new or upgraded outdoor lights installed on the San Marcos Campus. The majority of the project was completed at the beginning of the fall 2019 semester with all lighting expected to be installed by the semester’s end. The 282 new and upgraded LED lights will significantly enhance the level of nighttime brightness across the campus, including parking areas and the LBJ bus stop. 
3. Communication about safety tips and initiatives will now carry the TXST SAFE branding to remind Bobcats in San Marcos and Round Rock to follow safe practices on and off campuses. The logo and graphics for TXST SAFE are available for use by university organizations and departments that have safety messages to share. 
4. Resident Assistants from Housing and Residential Life conducted a mandatory safety talk with their residents for the first hall floor meeting on August 19, 2019 to discuss a variety of safety precautions and the security resources available on the San Marcos Campus. Housing and Residential Life has also launched a Think Safe. Be Safe poster campaign throughout all residence halls.  
5. Mark your calendar! A campus Safety Walk is scheduled for September 25, 2019 at 8 p.m. in San Marcos and a date is being planned for Round Rock. Students are invited to join a staff team including UPD, Facilities, Safety and Security Task Force Members, and Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management, to walk across our campuses and determine if there are areas that might pose a safety concern and need attention. 
6. UPD officers continue to increase engagement on our campuses and interaction with our university community, with events such as Coffee with a Cop, Palettas con la Policia, and Pizza with the Police during finals week.  Foot patrol and bike patrol efforts have increased, and UPD currently engages in a Residence Hall Resource Officer program which assigns an officer to every residence hall to spend time during each shift providing programming or talking with students. UPD offers Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event (CRASE) training throughout the year to the university community. Watch UPD Sgt. Taylor talk about campus emergency phones in a social media public service announcement initiative recently launched by UPD. 
7. The first Student Leader Dialogue meeting is scheduled for September 23, 2019 on the San Marcos Campus and these safety measures will be reviewed with the leaders of student organizations so they can better inform their members.  

We know that the safer our students, faculty and staff feel, the more productive our learning environment will be. The Safety and Security Task Force will continue to meet, and will work with other safety committees to expand the impact across both campuses. 

I encourage you to continue to read TXST Connections to learn about more important topics regarding ongoing enhancement to campus safety and communication. If you have any questions about these initiatives and the work of the Safety and Security Task Force, please contact the Vice President for Student Affairs Office, email vpsa@txstate.edu or phone 512-245-2152.