The Department of Campus Safety shared coffee and donuts with students and faculty while addressing issues and concerns
It was a crisp morning as both students and Campus Safety officers alike joined in conversation in Wilden Hall room 119 on Feb. 14. Campus Safety provided coffee and donuts for people to enjoy as they talked.
Coffee with Campus Safety’s main goal is to simply build a bridge between the staff, faculty and students of APU and Campus Safety. A big misconception about Campus Safety is that they are simply present on campus to hand out citations. This event is a way for people to come and simply talk with Campus Safety to come together as one Azusa Pacific community.
As the small event began, the room was filled with conversation. No presentation was made, so the time was used to get a chance to speak with the officers who keep the APU campus safe and secure. Everyone was involved in a conversation and the whole atmosphere surrounding the group of thirty or so people was upbeat.
A recurring message from the Campus Safety officers in attendance at the hour-long meeting was that Campus Safety wants the APU community to feel as if this meeting is a way to break down the barrier of negativity involving Campus Safety.
“We think it’s a good way to relate to the community in a more casual and relaxed setting,” Campus Safety Chief Tim Finneran said. “A lot of the contacts we have with people on campus may be considered a bit negative in regards to parking citations. We want staff, faculty and students to be able to meet face to face with the Campus Safety team.”
With a light-hearted atmosphere driving the conversation, this was a time for students to come together with Campus Safety to discuss the responsibilities of officers and to ask questions regarding anything.
“This is just an awesome opportunity to ask questions,” Junior economics major Angela Pham said. “I would encourage anyone to come to one of these wonderful events just to get involved.”
Friendly conversation allowed for moments of laughter and connection between two groups of the APU family that don’t normally connect in such a friendly way. Events like these are crucial to APU because they provide an opportunity to come together as a school over coffee and conversation.
“This is just a simple way to engage in the campus and spend time with friends as well as Campus Safety officers,” English major Ashley Jones said. “I have really enjoyed this little meeting and I would encourage others to come next time.”
Thanks to this event and the opportunities for conversation, many attendees left realizing that Campus Safety has the best interests of the students, staff and faculty in mind and are not simply around to hand out citations.