Reimagining Campus Public Safety


FRAMEWORK FOR PSU INITIATIVE TO REIMAGINE CAMPUS SAFETY 

Purpose: Portland State University’s President Percy invited PSU faculty, students, staff, and other interested stakeholders to meet this current moment on our campus through co-creating a comprehensive plan for the individual and collective well-being of Portland State students, staff, faculty, administrators, and visitors. Consistent with Portland State’s history and mission as an urban-serving institution of higher education, the RCSC will engage in a collaborative process to understand the array of safety needs of the campus community and to reimagine an approach to meeting those needs that reflects our commitment to racial justice and human dignity. The RCSC will be charged with developing new strategies and new methods that end the legacy of anti-Black outcomes in traditional approaches to community safety. We recognize racialization as a factor in decision-making around safety and security and underscore the importance of the experiences of racially and ethnically and/or multiply minoritized communities as it pertains to policing. Ultimately, the RCSC will call forth a new vision of a welcoming campus that promotes well-being and creates the conditions for genuine belonging for all members of the PSU community. 

The work of the Reimagine Campus Safety Committee will complement the vital and ongoing role of the University Public Safety Oversight Committee (UPSOC). Currently, the UPSOC  reviews  Campus Public Safety Office (CPSO) policies and practices, provides general oversight for CPSO, and works to maintain a respectful system of public safety. A more comprehensive understanding of the UPSOC’s charge can be found within its charter. The RCSC will function in a time-limited manner to develop a fresh set of recommendations for presentation to President Stephen Percy and the Board of Trustees. The work of UPSOC, however, will continue even as the new plan is developed, implemented, evaluated, and, as needed, revised.

RCSC Steering Committee

Jose Coll

Jose Coll is the current Dean of the School of Social Work at Portland State University and has held administrative and faculty positions at Texas State University, University of Southern California, and Saint Leo University. His research interests have been predominantly on worldview development and counseling veterans with a focus on veteran transition. He is the author and co-editor of numerous publications, including:  The Counselors Primer for Counseling Veterans, Linus Publications; co-editor of The Handbook of Military Social Work, Wiley Press; Student Veterans in Higher Education: A Primer for Administrators, Faculty, and Advisors, Lyceum Books and most recent Civilian Lives of U.S. Veterans: Issues and Identities, Praeger Publishing. He is a graduate of the American Council on Education (ACE) Fellows Program, University of California, Berkeley, Executive Leadership Academy (ELA), Harvard’s Institute for Management Development Program (MDP), Harvard’s Institute for Management and Leadership in Education (MLE).

Vicki Reitenauer

Vicki Reitenauer joined the faculty of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies department in 2000, following a decade working in community-based organizations. She specializes in developing and facilitating community-engaged learning experiences, employing critical and care-based pedagogies for integrative learning, and fostering networks of mutuality in higher education. She is grateful for the opportunity to learn with and from the visionary members of the RCSC to collectively co-imagine and co-create a PSU that is a place of welcome, belonging, and well-being for all. To schedule time to share your perspectives on reimagining campus safety, email Vicki at vicr@pdx.edu.

Ed Washington

Ed Washington is a civil rights leader and member of the Portland NAACP.  In 1991, Ed was appointed, then later elected the first African American councilor for the Metro Council, the regional government of the Portland metropolitan area. He served in this capacity from 1991-2001. Ed continues to serve as the Community Liaison for Diversity Initiatives & Inclusion for Portland State University, and as an adjunct professor for Portland Community College. In 1959, Ed married Jean Nova, a music teacher at Alameda Elementary School who was the first black chairwoman of Portland Music Educators. Ed and Jean remained together until she passed away in 1998.

Zachary Mettler

Zachary Mettler is in his final year of my Master’s in Urban and Regional Planning, and am now a member in both the UPSOC and RCSC. This will be the culmination of 6 years of education between a Bachelor’s in Architecture and this Master’s program, mixed with working for University Housing and Residence Life for 3 years and being a Campus Rec Club President for 3 years as well. I have a rich understanding and love for this campus and those who are or have been a part of it. All forms of social justice, especially racial and environmental, have been key focal points in my academic and personal life, and this committee is such a meaningful next step to being part of the process and giving back to the campus that has helped me become the person I am today.


RCSC Committee Members

Charlie Evans

Charlie Evans - Officer Evans usually goes by "Charlie," and is one of the newest members of the CPSO. Charlie speaks Mandarin Chinese and Spanish, and is a graduate of Columbia University. Charlie has been a soldier, a grant writer, a translator, a college administrator, call center representative, and a construction safety manager before finally becoming a police officer. Charlie comes to PSU from the Portland Police Bureau and couldn't be happier to be serving the PSU community. Charlie's goals are to be, "your police officer;" and to provide aid, assistance, and police service in a fair and tempered manner for everyone.

Chrystal Tenty
Crystal Tenty (she/her or they/them)  grew up in Modesto, California and made Portland her home in 2000. She is a first generation college student who graduated from Portland State University twice, with a bachelor's degree in Anthropology and Master of Arts in Conflict Resolution. She has spent her career working in a variety of support and service professions including addictions counseling, survivor advocacy, academic student success coaching and teaching English as a second language. She was excited to return to PSU in 2017 as part of the admissions team. In her spare time, Crystal enjoys learning new skills. From cooking, herbalism, improv, and trapeze classes to disaster preparedness and street first aid, she considers nearly any topic worth exploring, especially when done in community.
 
Debra Mayo-Kelley

Debra Mayo Kelley - Debra is the Director of Academic Employee & Labor Relations.   Prior to taking the position at PSU, Debra was a Union Representative for AFT Oregon representing K-12 and Higher Ed employees.    Through-out her career in Labor Relations, Debra has been on both Management and Union teams with a focus on labor management and social justice.   She wanted to be part of something that could change the trajectory of so many people’s lives and is convinced we have an enormous opportunity, and obligation, to ensure and sustain positive change.  

Kymberley Kahn

Dr. Kimberly Barsamian Kahn is an Associate Professor of Social Psychology and leads the Gender, Race, and Sexual Prejudice (GRASP) Lab at Portland State University. She received her Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of California, Los Angeles. Dr. Kahn’s research addresses contemporary forms of subtle bias and prejudice, with an emphasis on policing and police-community interactions. Specifically, she examines how biases such as implicit bias, stereotype threat, phenotypic racial stereotypicality bias, and masculinity threat impact police behavior and use of force.

Marcy Hunt

Marcy Hunt (she/her/hers pronouns) is the Director of Counseling Services at the Center for Student Health and Counseling (SHAC). She is a licensed psychologist with more than 20 years of college/university mental health experience. She comes to the Reimagine Committee with a passion for developing communities that foster belonging and wellbeing through care and connection. Marcy also brings clinical expertise in crisis intervention and looks forward to working collaboratively with campus and community partners to create a just and humane campus crisis response plan.

Molly Gunderson

Molly Gunderson serves as the Interim Assistant Dean, PSU Library. I wanted to serve on the RCPS committee because over the years, library staff have worked closely with campus safety to resolve security issues in the building.  Before the pandemic, when we were open to all, it was challenging to find a balance between being a welcoming place and being a safe place for people to research and study. I look forward to working with colleagues on the committee to shape the future of CSPO.

Roberto Valentin

Roberto Valentin currently serves as the Assistant Director for Residential Education in the University Housing & Residence Life (UHRL) department. In my role I work with professional staff (Residence Directors) and student leaders (Resident Assistants) across our residential campus to provide social programming, make intentional 1:1 connections with each resident, and provide resources and referrals that support academic excellence. I felt called to serve on the RCSC due to the nature of the work we do in UHRL in terms of ensuring safety and security in our residence halls and the relationship that we have with CPSO because of this priority. My goal is to advocate for an innovative, student-centered, racially-conscious, and equity-focused approach to campus safety on the Portland State University campus.

Scott Merriman - Student, The School of Business

Stéphanie Wahab

Stéphanie Wahab is a Professor at Portland State University’s School of Social Work. She situates her work within critical and feminist studies of social inequality and teaches a range of courses at Portland State University and at the University of Otago in New Zealand. She’s been actively engaged in anti-violence movements for over two decades and is drawn to this committee as an extension of her feminist ethic of care.

Yves Labissiere - Associate Professor, School of Public Health


RCSC Task Groups

Community Engagement: Zachary Mettler (chair), Molly Gunderson, Michaela Loggins, Roberto Valentin, Janet Cowal, Yves Labissiere

Frameworks for Campus Safety: Kim Kahn (chair), Scott Merriman, Charlie Evans, Jose Coll, Thomas Luckett, Becca Love

Physical Environment: Molly Gunderson (chair), Scott Merriman, Ed Washington, Michael McNerney, Julian Steele, Sarah Kinney

Responding to Individuals in Crisis: Marcy Hunt (chair), Stephanie Wahab, Zachary Mettler, Debra Mayo Kelley, Vicki Reitenauer, Amy Ruff, Denae Murphy, Toni Lewis

Welcoming & Belonging: Michaela Loggins (co-chair), Crystal Tenty (co-chair), Vicki Reitenauer, Brian Janssen, Rachel Dietz, Harold McNaron, Alyssa Regt