ODU JOINS NEIGHBORHOOD COMMUNITITES TO FORM SECURITY TASK FORCE

Old Dominion University has joined with neighboring communities Highland Park, Lamberts Point and Larchmont to establish a task force in an effort to assess and recommend campus and neighborhood security measures as well as promote safety and security awareness.

"The task force provides another opportunity for the university and its neighbors to join together for a significant cause," said Roseann Runte, president of Old Dominion. "ODU and the surrounding neighborhoods have a keen interest in ensuring that we are doing everything possible to maintain our outstanding living and learning environment. Our goal is to increase dialogue and awareness among all members of our community, including our neighbors, students, alumni and the City of Norfolk."

The new task force will be responsible for reviewing, evaluating and providing recommendations to the university administration and the City of Norfolk on safety, security and crime prevention on the Old Dominion campus and in the surrounding communities. Additionally, the group will recommend and promote student and resident safety and security awareness programs on a continuing basis.

The Rev. Anthony Paige of the First Baptist Church of Lamberts Point and Robert L. Fenning, vice president for administration and finance at Old Dominion, will co-chair the group, and Cecelia T. Tucker, assistant to the president for community relations, will serve as secretary. Other members will include neighborhood civic league presidents Dale Ryder, Ellen Harvey and David O'Dell; neighborhood landlords John Warner and Thanos Polizos; and Old Dominion representatives Dana Burnett, vice president for student services, Interim Police Chief William Quinn and selected faculty members and students. Additionally, Larry Curtis, vice president for student affairs at Norfolk State University, and Quintin Bullock, provost of Tidewater Community College's Norfolk campus, will participate.

Currently, Old Dominion's 36 police officers, security officers and communications dispatchers provide policing and security services and emergency response for the university campus and assist the Norfolk Police Department through a concurrent jurisdiction agreement for a one-square-mile area encompassing portions of the surrounding neighborhoods. The ODU department provides 24-hour patrolling and offers an evening safety escort service for students, faculty and staff.