Update from Campus Partners:  January 21, 2001

Contents:

RECEPTION WILL CELEBRATE UNIVERSITY-SCHOOLS COLLABORATION

The collaboration between Columbus Public Schools and Ohio State in 13 schools serving children from the university area will be celebrated during a reception on Tuesday, Jan. 23, from 4:30 to 6 p.m. at the Longaberger Alumni House, 2200 Olentangy River Road. The reception will welcome five principals who are new to university area schools this academic year and Donna Browder Evans, the new dean of Ohio State's College of Education. The reception also will honor three persons of achievement who attended or have served university area schools. The reception is sponsored by the University District Education Committee and the university's new pre-school to grade 12 project. One part of this P-12 Project is a more sustained and strategic involvement with schools in the university area as part of Campus Partners' efforts to improve the neighborhoods.

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BURGLARY REPORTS DECLINE; CRIME STOPPERS PROGRAM EXPLORED

Burglaries reported over the holiday break were down compared to the same period a year ago. Columbus Police Sgt. Terry Perrigo told the Campus Partners Safety Coordinating Committee at its meeting on Jan. 10 that the joint efforts to prevent burglaries were successful. For the third year, Columbus Police, University Police and the Community Crime Patrol cooperated with undercover officers and special patrols in the predominantly student neighborhoods from Dec. 9 through Jan. 3. Residents reported 62 burglaries in the area one year ago, compared with 47 this year. Although officers did not make any arrests for burglaries in progress, they did stop a robbery. The arrest in that incident cleared up 10 earlier cases of robbery and related crimes in the university area.

Vernon Baisden, Ohio State's assistance vice president for public safety, told the committee that he was pleased with the cooperative spirit among the law enforcement agencies. Mark Hatch, executive director of CCP, noted the dedication of his patrollers and the police officers who worked despite the colder than normal weather. He also emphasized the need to continue to educate students and other residents on their responsibility to lock their doors and windows and properly secure their property.

Columbus Police officers are continuing to investigate acts of vandalism in the northern part of the University District which occurred in late September and again in November when a number of parked cars on one street had their tires slashed. The vandalism doesn't appear to be gang-related. Police are working with residents to solve the crimes and prevent future incidents.

A five-member subcommittee of the Safety Coordinating Committee met Jan. 16 to explore the idea of a University District Crime Stoppers Program. Subcommittee members agreed that a Crime Stoppers Program should be developed for the university area, including both Ohio State property and the adjacent neighborhoods. They plan to meet again later this month with Columbus Police Detective Tom Randle, Crime Stoppers coordinator, to further discuss the organization of such a program.

The next meeting of the Safety Coordinating Committee will be Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 2:30 p.m. in the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road.

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PLANNING FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HERITAGE FESTIVAL

The African American Heritage Festival Coordinating Committee, chaired by Bill Hall, continues to meet monthly in preparation for the festival, which will run May 14-20, 2001. The program is still a work in progress, but the breadth of the week's activities and the level of planning are better than in previous years. In addition, communication about the festival is well organized. The festival may attract some 400 volunteers, including clergy with the God Squad, community members, and employees from corporate sponsor BankOne. Appropriate training, coordination and security of volunteers are being worked on. Police agencies are meeting on traffic circulation and other safety matters, although some of those decisions will be made when the festival's programming is complete. The latest information about the festival is available at the following Web site: www.osuheritagefestival.com. The next meeting of the coordinating committee will be Wednesday, Feb. 14, at 1:30 p.m. at the Fawcett Center, 2400 Olentangy River Road.

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FOLLOW-UP TO DISTURBANCE AFTER OHIO STATE-MICHIGAN GAME

The student governments have been meeting with the Office of Student Affairs to talk about a series of actions that could be taken to help students living off-campus to become more responsible hosts when they hold parties. One suggestion from the student governments is that a portion of the Coca-Cola money received by the university be used to hire off-duty police officers to work at student-sponsored parties. This suggestion and others were discussed by the Campus Partners Safety Coordinating Committee on Jan. 10. Although no clear consensus emerged from the discussion, committee chair Bill Hall asked for volunteers to serve on a subcommittee to examine the suggestions in more detail.

Meanwhile, Terry Foegler, president of Campus Partners, and Willie Young, director of Off-Campus and Commuter Student Services, are forming a Landlord Advisory Panel on Civility to study and recommend specific steps which owners of student rental property can take to prevent the type of disturbances and unacceptable behavior which followed the Ohio State-Michigan football game. The advisory panel will begin meeting in early February.

CAMPUS PARTNERS PUBLIC SERVICE COMMITTEE TO MEET

The next meeting of the Public Service Committee on refuse collection will be Wednesday, Feb. 28, at 4 p.m. in the community meeting room of the Northwood-High Building, 2231 N. High St. The committee will next meet on street sweeping on Wednesday, Feb. 21, at 3:30 p.m. in the Northwood-High Building.

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OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENT INVOLVEMENT

The Campus Partners Student Advisory Board is planning a meeting on affordable housing issues for later in winter quarter. The date and time will be announced soon. Meanwhile, students concerned with public safety issues continue to meet as the Student Safety Initiative. Shannon Tubb has been working with people interested in student cooperative housing at Ohio State. Contact her at Tubb.2@osu.edu. Student leadership also is needed for the BuckEyes Watch and Adopt-A-Street programs.

Information on these programs will be available at the Winter Quarter Student Involvement Fair this Thursday, Jan. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ohio Union Ballrooms, 1739 N. High St. Of course, dozens of other student organizations also will be there, so plan on coming by. You also may call Steve Sterrett of Campus Partners at 294-7300 for information on the activities listed above. He can tell you who to contact to get involved.

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