Issue Date: 12/5/05
Task force recommends $2.3 million police budget
By Donnie Boyle
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The Police Review Task Force, which voted in April to recommend keeping an armed police force on campus, released its final report. The recommendations include an armed force with a $2.3 million 2006-2007 budget and a proposal to raise student-parking fees from $35 to the $40 maximum allowed by law.
The report was presented at the Strategic Planning Council's Nov. 15 meeting and several SPC members said the report will likely be accepted at the council's Dec. 6 meeting. In response to questions about specific recommendations within the report and missing data in its "justification" section, Palomar College President Robert Deegan and Vice President of Student Services Joe Madrigal said SPC will only be accepting the report and not adopting the recommendations.
"All we (SPC members) will be doing is accepting the report and thanking the members for their work," Deegan said. "It is only one step in the process. The next thing we have to do is hire a permanent chief to help examine the rest of the recommendations."
Students and faculty members have questioned whether their groups were adequately represented on the task force and whether or not student input was sought, especially in light of a recommendation to raise parking fees.
"Any committee that is dealing with issues that will impact students should have adequate student representation and input," Madrigal said.
The 24-member task force did include one student seat. However, when the task force reconvened from summer break, no student attended either the Sept. 15 or Oct. 6 meetings. Eleven members attended the Sept. 15 meeting and 12 attended the Oct. 6 meeting when the report was given final approval.
ASG President Neill Kovrig said he was not informed that the task force was meeting this fall and as a result the student board was not able send a representative. There is a student seat on the SPC, but ASG Sen. Sam Wrenn was absent when the report was presented.
The ASG's adviser, Bruce Bishop, serves on the SPC and as a member of the task force. He attended both meetings this fall and served on the task force's sub-committee which met Aug. 8 to discuss the proposals the full body had discussed during the spring. However, ASG members were not informed that the task force had met or that the report existed when questioned at their Nov. 30 meeting.
The report was presented at the Strategic Planning Council's Nov. 15 meeting and several SPC members said the report will likely be accepted at the council's Dec. 6 meeting. In response to questions about specific recommendations within the report and missing data in its "justification" section, Palomar College President Robert Deegan and Vice President of Student Services Joe Madrigal said SPC will only be accepting the report and not adopting the recommendations.
"All we (SPC members) will be doing is accepting the report and thanking the members for their work," Deegan said. "It is only one step in the process. The next thing we have to do is hire a permanent chief to help examine the rest of the recommendations."
Students and faculty members have questioned whether their groups were adequately represented on the task force and whether or not student input was sought, especially in light of a recommendation to raise parking fees.
"Any committee that is dealing with issues that will impact students should have adequate student representation and input," Madrigal said.
The 24-member task force did include one student seat. However, when the task force reconvened from summer break, no student attended either the Sept. 15 or Oct. 6 meetings. Eleven members attended the Sept. 15 meeting and 12 attended the Oct. 6 meeting when the report was given final approval.
ASG President Neill Kovrig said he was not informed that the task force was meeting this fall and as a result the student board was not able send a representative. There is a student seat on the SPC, but ASG Sen. Sam Wrenn was absent when the report was presented.
The ASG's adviser, Bruce Bishop, serves on the SPC and as a member of the task force. He attended both meetings this fall and served on the task force's sub-committee which met Aug. 8 to discuss the proposals the full body had discussed during the spring. However, ASG members were not informed that the task force had met or that the report existed when questioned at their Nov. 30 meeting.