In accordance with the Clery Act, Shawn Varso and William Mays of the Youngstown State University Police Department conducted training for faculty members in Kilcawley Center on Wednesday.
Varso and Mays guided attendees through a detailed PowerPoint presentation that included information about how to report on-campus crimes through an online submission process.
“The forms must be as detailed as possible,” Varso said. “We want to know so we can take care of it. If it’s a serious offense, call us so we can push it to the top. We’ll do the analyzing.”
Faculty members were chosen for training based on whether their titles met the requirements for a campus security authority, also known as a CSA.
Varso said a CSA is any faculty member that interacts with students on a daily basis, such as employees of Student Life, the Andrews Student Recreation and Wellness Center, the YSU Student Judicial Board, Housing and Residence Life, YSU athletics and anyone responsible for entry to the campus. The only exceptions to CSA’s requirements are professors and police officers.
Victims of crime are also given the opportunity to remain anonymous if they do not want to provide their names.
“If a victim’s name can be provided, it should,” Varso said.
However, even if a student doesn’t want a crime to be reported, it is obligatory for CSAs to report it.
“If a student without car insurance tells you that their car was broken into, but doesn’t want to tell the police, report it anyway,” Mays told attendees.
If a crime is not reported, it could cost the university up to $35,000 per offense and monetary losses to financial aid, Varso said.
Brandy Schumaker, the assistant director for fitness and facility operations, said the training was helpful.
“I think it was definitely informative and necessary,” Schumaker said. “Especially because students come to us who are afraid to report it themselves.”
Ryan McNicholas, the coordinator of fitness and wellness programs, said the same.
“I never knew the difference between being a third-party reporter and being a part of the accident,” McNicholas said.
Varso estimates that about 200 faculty members qualify as CSAs that need to be trained on campus, and over the next couple of days at least 55 will be trained.
