Assessment of Campus Safety Policies & Procedures

Dear DU community members,

The safety of the University of Denver community is fundamental to our ability to engage, collaborate and learn from each other. To that end, the University continuously watches national and local trends which, unfortunately, indicate an increase in acts of violence, as well as violent and non-violent acts of bias and hate—including on and near college campuses. Denver has not been immune from this trend.

I am proud of the work our Campus Safety and EOIX office have done, in partnership with many others, to diligently and thoroughly investigate incidents that impact the safety of our community members. I am also immensely proud and supportive of the proactive work our teams are doing to prevent incidents of physical harm from happening in the first place. DU must continue to take a proactive approach to safety and maintain a focus on continuous improvement in our efforts to promote a safe campus now and long into the future.  

All the above informed the University’s decision to retain a nationally recognized professional services firm, Margolis Healy, which specializes in advising on safety, security, emergency preparedness and regulatory compliance. This May, Margolis Healy will conduct a comprehensive assessment which will include an in-person, three-day visit to hear about DU’s campus safety efforts, procedures and processes. Throughout the summer months, they will examine our feedback and help us understand the ways in which DU might improve our efforts.  

As safety is a community responsibility, the entire DU community is invited to participate in this assessment and offer Margolis Healy valuable feedback and insight. Margolis Healy will facilitate listening sessions with stakeholder groups across campus, and will also host open forums that allow interested community members to share their perspectives. While I am confident these meetings will be fruitful, it is important to have the opportunity to hear from everyone willing to share. Therefore, a survey will be distributed to the campus community during their visit. I want to encourage everyone interested in this important topic to participate. Please look for more information regarding both the survey and open forums in the coming weeks, and thank you in advance for your time and thoughts.  

Margolis Healy will use what they hear from you, the DU community, as well as data collected from peer institutions to create their comprehensive recommendations.  

In truth, I wish for a world in which all could study, work and live free from fear of harm. Though we will always think carefully about safety on campus, these times require us to do more–examine deeper–and learn from others in order to best protect ourselves.  

Thank you for your support. Our community’s safety is paramount to all that we do, and we are eager to hear more from you in the coming weeks.

Sincerely,

Jeremy Haefner
Chancellor