October 2007

NEWS briefs

President Knapp Initiates Campus Safety and Security Task Force
A new presidential task force composed of administrative, academic, and student leaders will review GW’s campus safety and security following the release of reports on the Virginia Tech tragedy.

Initiated by President Knapp Sept. 28, the Presidential Task Force on Campus Safety and Security will examine GW’s leadership and response management, emergency planning and operations, physical security and infrastructure, communication/notification systems, and threat assessments for high-risk students, faculty, or staff with potential for violence. It also will also review the University’s coordination with law enforcement and emergency management agencies and address federal and local privacy laws.

The task force will be guided in part by the findings of a state review panel appointed by Virginia Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and an internal report conducted by Virginia Tech.

“The George Washington University has established comprehensive public safety and emergency management policies and procedures that have been used as models by other institutions,” says Knapp. “Still, the process of reviewing and refining these operations is ongoing as we continue to be guided by recent events, new recommendations, and best practices.”

Robert A. Chernak, senior vice president for student and academic support services and associate professor of higher education administration, is convening the task force, which comprises two working groups: the Committee on Safety and Security, co-chaired by Assistant Vice President for Public Safety and Emergency Management John Petrie and University Police Chief Dolores Stafford; and the Committee on Mental Health and Violence Prevention, co-chaired by Associate Vice President and Dean of Students Linda Donnels and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Jeffrey S. Akman.

The task force will evaluate existing protocols for incident response at GW’s Foggy Bottom, Mount Vernon, and Virginia campuses, as well as graduate centers throughout Virginia, and will present its report and recommendations by Nov. 9.

U.N. General Assembly President Discusses Women’s Rights
Her Excellency Sheikha Haya Rashed Al Khalifa, president of the United Nations General Assembly, addressed gender inequality in law and education across the Arab world in an address at GW Sept. 7. Her lecture was part of the Elliott School of International Affairs’ Distinguished Women in International Affairs Series.

A native of Bahrain, Al Khalifa discussed the inequities of family code laws in several Middle Eastern nations, including Egypt, Kuwait, and Bahrain, where women’s consent is not required before marriage and their divorce rights are narrowly limited. Al Khalifa said many Arab women accept these disparities, and she called for better education for women as the best means of countering them.

“We must challenge these beliefs and encourage an Islamic interpretation that is in line with the realities that women in the 21st century face,” she said.

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