Dear Students, Faculty and Staff:
As the new chief of Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services, I’m grateful for the warm welcome I’ve received over the past several weeks. It’s been a pleasure getting to know many of you, and I look forward to meeting even more members of our campus community.
I’ve also had the opportunity to meet individually with members of the Campus Safety and Emergency Management Services team to better understand the important work they do each day. I continue to be impressed by their professionalism, dedication and care for this community, and I’m truly honored to be leading such a committed team.
I have several important topics I would like to address this month in our update, including the following:
- Youth Leadership Camp
- Community Engagement
- Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety
Youth Leadership Camp
The Department of Public Safety (DPS) held its third annual Youth Leadership Camp for rising ninth graders from the Syracuse Police Athletic League (PAL) the week of July 22. The students learned about leadership and goal setting, effective communication and life skills, such as how to stop the bleed and using a fire extinguisher
We appreciate William (Bill) Coplin, professor of policy studies in the Maxwell School, for instructing the students in Skills Win: A Program to Improve Basic Career and Citizenship Skills, and head football coach Fran Brown for showing the young people around the John A. Lally Athletics Complex. I also want to extend my thanks to the volunteer students, faculty and staff who assisted with the camp.
Community Engagement
Welcome Safety Stations
Our safety stations are back for the 2025-2026 academic year. We will be located at several spots across campus the first few weeks of school. There will be snacks and our officers will be reminding students of important safety tips and answering any questions you may have.
Follow our social media accounts to find out dates and locations!
Community Police Academy
Our DPS team is accepting applications for the Community Police Academy (CPA). Please review the following information to determine if the program may be of interest to you:
The Community Police Academy is a free four-week program designed to give eligible students, faculty and staff an idea of what it’s like to protect and serve our campus community. For the Fall 2025 semester, the classes will be held on campus in Lyman Hall from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. on the following dates:
- Wednesday, Sept. 24
- Wednesday, Oct. 1
- Wednesday, Oct. 8
- Wednesday, Oct. 15
To learn more and register for our CPA program, visit the CPA webpage.
Bicycle and Pedestrian Safety
DPS would like to remind the campus community of a few easy steps everyone can take to ensure we all reach our destinations unharmed, especially if we are walking or riding a bike or scooter.
- Avoid wearing earbuds or headphones in areas where vehicles are operating.
- Look both ways before crossing and only cross at the crosswalk.
- Wait for the walk signal!
- Be proactive by wearing light or reflective clothing during low-light situations.
Some specific safety tips for those on bikes, scooters, skateboards, etc.:
- Obey all traffic signals, signs and pavement markings.
- Ride with traffic as this makes you more visible and your movements more predictable to motorists.
- DPS strongly urges all riders to wear a helmet.
- Secure your bicycle/scooter to a campus bike rack with a U-bolt lock.
Register your bike with DPS so a record of your bicycle is kept on file in the event of a theft.
We Are Here to Help
As a reminder, if you have information that may be relevant to DPS or an ongoing investigation, it is never too late to come forward. You can call DPS at 315.443.2224 or submit information anonymously via the Silent Witness tool. In addition, to report a bias incident or to receive support, visit the Stop Bias website.
I look forward to having everyone back on campus starting next week!
Sincerely,
Chief Mike Bunker
Department of Public Safety