When it comes to campus safety, Siena College makes the grade. According to the website SafeWise.com, Siena gets an “A.” The College was listed along with the University of Notre Dame, Colgate University and Juniata College as one of the safest college campuses on The SafeWise Report. SafeWise helps consumers gather information about safety and security products.
In her blog post, Rebecca Edwards credited Siena’s Department of Public Safety with taking a proactive approach to ensuring that accidents, injuries and criminal activities are kept to a minimum.
“The department provides information about what to do in a wide variety of situations including alcohol poisoning, bomb threats, explosions and even how to deal with a possible pandemic. Clearly, Siena College leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the safety and security of its students,” Edwards wrote.
“Keeping students, faculty and staff safe is our top priority,” said Michael Papadopoulos ’82, assistant vice president for student affairs and director of public safety. “The Department of Public Safety is full of dedicated and experienced officers whose goal is to provide the Siena community with a healthy, inclusive and safe living and learning environment.”
Student Senate President Ryan Murphy ’14 said that the Department of Public Safety encourages and appreciates student input.
“There is a Public Safety Advisory Committee where students and faculty help the Department work through possible issues and seek student feedback," Murphy said. "One of the best examples is the semester light walks. Each semester, officers and students work together to find places where the lighting needs improvement to make the campus safer."
While safety their primary concern, Siena’s officers are also there to lend a hand and work alongside students.
“The officers are always willing to help you out, even if it’s with something as small as jumping your car or providing you with a snow shovel,” said Murphy. “The officers all have great relationships with the students which make them feel much more a part of the community than authority figures. I have seen students take any number of issues to Public Safety and each one is handled in a professional and courteous manner.”
