Community Review Board Invites Campus Community to Open Forum March 22

The University’s Community Review Board (CRB) invites students, faculty and staff to its spring open forum on Wednesday, March 22, from 6 to 7 p.m. in the The Underground located on the ground floor of the Schine Student Center or online via Zoom.

After a brief introduction of the CRB’s mission and representatives, the open forum will serve as a listening session where members of the campus community can share about their experiences or ask thoughtful questions related to the Department of Public Safety and policing on campus.

For those attending in person, light refreshments will be available and Communications Access Realtime Translation (CART) will be provided. To request additional accommodations, please contact crb@syr.edu.

“These forums are invaluable for us to hear from as many campus constituents as possible to ensure we are serving in an inclusive and representative way. During previous sessions, attendees have offered thoughtful suggestions and asked insightful questions,” says Brianna Sclafani, the CRB chair who is also a law student in the College of Law and graduate student in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

The CRB was created following an independent review of DPS by former Attorney General Loretta E. Lynch in 2020-21. It is responsible for:

• reviewing appeals of civilian complaints regarding DPS officer conduct;
• reviewing and commenting on prospective new DPS policies, procedures and trainings;
• reviewing key community-facing functions of DPS; and
• issuing to the University community a public annual report of findings and recommendations.

Current members serving on the CRB include:

• Yusuf S. Abdul-Qadir, graduate student, School of Information Studies
• Mary Grace Almandrez, vice president of diversity and inclusion, Office of Diversity and Inclusion
• Linda Baguma, undergraduate student, College of Arts and Sciences
• Jordan Beasley, undergraduate student, College of Arts and Sciences
• Sam Castleberry, undergraduate recruiting specialist, College of Visual and Performing Arts (vice chair)
• Theresa A. Jenkins, academic advisor, Newhouse School of Public Communications
• Milton R. Laufer, director and associate professor, School of Music, College of Visual and Performing Arts
• Adia Santos, undergraduate student, College of Arts and Sciences and Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs
• Brianna C. Sclafani, graduate student, College of Law (chair)
• Salatha Willis, associate athletic director diversity and inclusion, Student Athletic Development
• Corrinne B. Zoli, research faculty, Forensic Science Institute

The CRB has also engaged two highly experienced consultants to advise on its work. Bethaida “Bea” González, former vice president for community engagement, special assistant to the chancellor and dean of University College, is senior advisor to the CRB; and Melvin “Tony” Perez, former chief of public safety for Monroe Community College, serves as its expert law enforcement consultant.

For more information, visit the CRB webpage or contact the CRB directly by email to CRB@syr.edu.