The following message is being sent on behalf of Lisa Castle, Vice President, Human Resources, and Louise Cowin, Vice President, Students, to HR Networks (Vancouver campus). This message was sent to Heads Up (Vancouver) earlier today. Please distribute this message to the faculty and staff in your unit. The memo is also available online at http://www.hr.ubc.ca/memos/seeking-faculty-and-staff-volunteers-for-ams-safewalk-nov-6-2013/.
~~
Seeking Faculty and Staff Volunteers
The safety of everyone on campus, students, faculty and staff, is the University’s top priority.
In recent weeks, there have been several sexual assaults that have taken place on UBC’s Vancouver campus. You can read more information, including the most recent developments, at http://www.ubc.ca/staysafe/.
It is encouraging that use of Safewalk services has skyrocketed following the announcement of the third sexual assault on campus in mid-October. To help alleviate some of the burden on the service, and to help every member of the UBC community to feel safer on campus, we are asking for interested Faculty and Staff to volunteer with Safewalk, during the 7:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. shift.
For context, in the month of October 2012, Safewalk received a total of 73 calls. Since mid-October, 2013, Safewalk has received this number of calls on each of Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights (averaging in the mid-40s for the other nights of the week).
If you are willing to volunteer and assist with the demand for this service, you will be paired with a trained Safewalk student for their shift, and will receive an on-shift orientation. If you are only available for part of a shift, we still encourage you to volunteer.
Safewalk (http://www.ams.ubc.ca/services/safewalk/) is a free service from the AMS that is looking out for UBC Community members’ safety on campus, and operates most nights during the school year with its walking service. Safewalk will send a co-ed pair of walkers to any point on campus and will walk anyone to any point on campus they need to go between 7:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.
If you are interested in volunteering with Safewalk, please contact:
Brittany Watson
Safewalk Assistant Coordinator
604-822-2181
Please let her know your availability (day(s) of the week and the evening times you are available to volunteer) as well as your contact information.
Due to the nature of the Safewalk system, we are asking for only UBC Faculty and Staff volunteers at this time.
If you are a student and wish to join Safewalk, please contact Brittany directly.
Using Safewalk
If you would like a Safewalk Team to escort you to your on-campus destination after dark (between 7:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.), call them at 604-822-5355. This service is available for free to members of the UBC community.
Other Safety Contacts
Emergency 9-1-1
UBC RCMP 604.224.1322
Tips 778.290.5291 or 1.877.543.4822
UBC Campus Security 604.822.2222
AMS Safewalk 604.822.5355