Memo from the President: Open Forum Follow-up
To All Students, Faculty and Staff,
I want to thank everyone who attended the open forum on Monday, October 17 and shared their comments and concerns. It was an important first step to hear from our community as the college responds to the incident involving a campus safety officer and a former student on October 13.
Many questions were raised at the forum that I would like to offer some follow up on.
On Friday, October 14, our district initiated an independent investigation to review the circumstances that led to a campus safety officer handcuffing an individual on our campus. The campus safety officer will remain on leave throughout the duration of the investigation. The investigation is being conducted by Currier & Hudson. While the North Orange County Community College District is funding the inquiry, the investigator from the firm has complete autonomy and will present findings to the district once the inquiry is complete. I have requested that the investigation be as swift as possible.
At this stage, I invite anyone who believes they can inform the investigation to call Melinda Taylor or Nitzya Hamblet in the President’s Office at 714-992-7001.
Protecting a college community that exceeds 26,000 students, faculty and staff is not an easy task, and historically our Campus Safety Department has an excellent record of keeping Fullerton College safe. I would like to remind the campus that our safety officers are here as a service to you, and they should be called upon whenever needed.
That said, it is our duty as educators to operate the college with transparency and accountability. Recent incidents on campus have brought into question the use of handcuffs by campus safety officers. We are evaluating our college’s handcuffing practice to ensure that it is based on clear, industry-standard procedures.
I am committed to doing everything in my ability to work with our campus community to assure that Fullerton College is a welcoming, inclusive, learning and working environment.
Sincerely,
Greg Schulz, Ed.D.
President
Fullerton College
Note: See President Schulz’s October 14 memo by visiting the Fullerton College News Center.