“[The campus Community Council] intends to proactively engage in community dialogue and community building,” the report states.
It will serve as a medium for communication between administrators and staff, students, alumni, emeriti and community members.
“The Campus Community Council is an important step toward greater collaboration among campus stakeholders precisely because it is so inclusive — with student, academic, staff and administrative representatives gathering regularly to address issues of importance to them,” said UC Davis Spokesperson Barry Shiller in an e-mail interview.
The task force report also calls for “external review of UC Davis police department protocols and procedures,” which the University responded to by involving the California Commission on Peace Officers Standards and Training (POST) to review Police Department operations.
In the event of another future large scale incident, the task force recommended the development of National Incident Management System/Standardized Emergency Management System compliant procedures and protocols to establish uniform procedures to assist in properly managing the event.
The University will also review its Principles of Community so that it is better implemented and will create a system wide inter-agency support system that would require the support of campus decisions by parties who are involved or responding.
Kase Wheatley, a sustainable agriculture and food systems junior and a student who was pepper-sprayed, is not convinced of the University’s efforts.
“It’s the same thing every year… they come up with ‘recommendations’ to make the campus a ‘safer’ place then they slap the word ‘community’ or sustainable on whatever the change in policy is,” he said.
Kroll Report recommendations are also included in the proposed action plans. They underscore the importance in the establishment of a well-defined structure of operating rules for leadership through identifying what constitutes acceptable and unacceptable protest behavior and scheduling formal meetings.
Shiller said improving campus protest management is a top priority for administrators.
“It clearly also matters a great deal to students, faculty, staff and the entire UC Davis community. Clearer, contemporary protest management policies, police reforms and better administrative coordination and decision-making protocols are all important steps in ensuring that our community never again experiences what occurred last November,” he said.
Edley and Robinson met with students and staff in public forums at various UC campuses to discuss the 50 recommendations which will remain public for three weeks to allow time for public comment before they are implemented.
