By Nicarlyle Hanchard / The Jambar
Youngstown State University received a grant from the Campus Security Grant Program on Jan. 13, valued at $92,930, through the Ohio Department of Higher Education and Ohio Department of Public Safety.
The Campus Security Grant Program offers financial assistance to state higher education institutions to further on-campus safety efforts. An application to be considered for the grant must be completed by interested institutions before the grant is awarded.
YSU Police Chief Shawn Varso said the application is completed through his department. The department acts as the principal investigator for the grant, ensuring the funds are allocated for their intended security purposes.
“When we put in a grant, we have to specify what that grant is for and then, when that grant is awarded, that money has to be spent for … whatever you put the grant in for, it has to be spent for that,” Varso said. “We have to issue reports at the end of the fiscal year [showing] that the money was spent towards whatever the item was or whatever the program was.”
The grant can be used to fund training programs for campus-affiliated law enforcement and other educational and collaborative programs that further an institution’s safety and security. However, the funds cannot be used as a general maintenance fund or to purchase weapons.
Announcing the approval of the grant, Rep. Lauren McNally stated that safety plays a key role in students’ impressions of the university and if they would want to stay in the Mahoning Valley after graduation.
“I think feeling safe at your school has a profound impact on your overall impression of the school,” McNally stated. “If students feel safe, they will have a better experience. I think having a good experience at YSU would absolutely play into a student’s postgraduation plans.”
The previous grant YSU received was used to purchase four portable metal detectors. Varso said this newly awarded grant will be used to acquire four additional detectors to increase the police department’s ability to secure large-scale on-campus events.
The department’s current detectors were used at events at Stambaugh Stadium and DeBartolo Hall, and the additional detectors would assist YSU Police in covering the entirety of Beeghly Center, were an event to require it.
“They are portable, they can be moved around to different points on campus. If we have an event that we need to have metal detectors at, we can position them in about any building on campus.” Varso said.
For general campus safety, Varso said although there are officers patrolling the campus, students can assist their efforts by being responsible with their belongings and reporting suspicious activity.
“Students can also help us out by reporting things [if] something has happened, they need to report something to us and the best way to do that is … to program our seven-digit phone number into their phones, ‘cause that is a direct line to our dispatch center downstairs,” Varso said. “It is the fastest way to get police, fire [or emergency medical services] response here on campus.”
Anyone on campus with nonemergency concerns can call YSU Police at 330-941-3527. All emergencies should be reported to 911.