Aaron Menconi
      Staff Writer

The UNCG Police Student Advisory Council held their third meeting on Jan. 19 on the UNCG Police building’s upper floor. They gathered to discuss elections within the council, organize workshops and to form a committee that would interview prospective candidates for the upcoming shift in position of UNCG chief of police.

Having formed in the spring of 2015 in response to a racially insensitive email sent by UNCG Police, the council strives to bring together students and police at UNCG and to foster a cohesive relationship between the two.

Advisor to the meeting was Dr. Omar Ali, interim dean of Lloyd International Honors College and professor in African American and African Diaspora Studies. Ali has served as the council’s advisor since conceiving it in collaboration with UNCG students last April.

The council, which works in cooperation with the chief of police and UNCG police department, examines areas of concern and celebrates the successes by the department.

Their purpose is to be a voice for students, and to make recommendations to the Chief of Police. According to Ali, the council, “Is helping to pioneer a developmental approach to build bridges between university police officers and students from across the campus using improvisation, performance and play.”

Three main objectives guide the council: to bring diverse perspectives which help guide practices of the police, to advise and to help raise students’ concerns regarding those police practices and to propose new programs, workshops and community-outreach events to be co-led by students and UNCG Police.

“The work that the council is doing would not be possible, if it were not for the collaborative spirit of the UNCG Police,” Ali said, “it’s a partnership.”

The first half of the meeting focused on intra-council matters, announcements as well as who would serve on the council with upcoming elections.

It then focused briefly on their first series of workshops, called “Bridging the Gap.” The meeting closed with the forming of a committee which would interview prospective candidates for the position of UNCG chief of police.

The workshops are open to anyone who would like to attend. They will be happening three times over this spring semester, Jan. 25, Feb. 29 and March 22, and will all be held in room 212 of the UNCG Police building from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

For more information on happenings by the council, contact Student Advisory Council member and UNCG senior Dominique Edwards at daedar2@uncg.edu.