The following letter was sent to UGA President Jere Morehead on the day the body of a student was discovered on campus, but before an arrest had been made;
President Morehead and senior staff.
WE TOLD.YOU.SO.
UGA's responses to this young girl's death today plus the armed robbery on campus Friday 2/16 need to be:
1. Immediate heavy police and public safety presence to make all feel (and be) safer until the perpetrator is caught.
2. Order a full safety assessment for on and off campus as we sent a proposal to use consultant SRMC Inc in Columbus. Ohio.
3. Contract for Block by Block Safety and Outreach Ambassadors immediately piloting two zones at first. on campus and downtown Athens (consider other hot spots, trails, green spaces). Share cost with ACCGov to which we can provide that more in depth.
4. Begin a Safe Zone model to include full integration of UGA's cameras for intervention not just investigation with ACCPD's real time crime center. The latter to be coordinated immediately.
We personally told you, Kevin Abernethy, Dr. Silk, and Alison McCullick that we never wanted to get to the point to say. "we told you so", and here we are. Emotions aside, steps above are carefully vetted, measurably successful solutions, Instead we are at the point of reacting when we hoped UGA would take a proactive approach to enhancing its security posture and mitigate risks. Anything else but above solutions, is not enough. UGA and ACCGov are continuing to fail the campus and Athens communities.
P.S. This young person WAS a UGA student and in a UGA affiliated sorority with Chi Omega. To not acknowledge her relationship as part of the UGA family is disheartening. Our now over 7,000 members including students are angry. Response needs to be action.
As you know, all of our programs (and past formal proposal with data on BBB) are found on
SafeDAthens.orq.
From the beginning. we asked you. President Morehead. to lead and to bring key programs to the campus community to save lives and reduce trauma. Respectfully. we ask you to leverage your position, your intellect. and your compassion for the campus population to be bold with these transformative programs. It starts and stops with you.
Regards,
Lynn Gainous
Susan Monteverde
SafeD Athens Inc 501©(3)
Extension of UGA Parents for Safety and Security