Sonoma State University

Campus-wide Safety Committee Minutes January 7, 2021

Minutes

  1. Introductions
    1. The new Chief of Police, Nadar Oweis, was present and introduced.
  1. Review of minutes from previous month were approved as written.
  1. Accident & Near Miss Review (Workers’ Compensation)
    1. No new accidents to report in the last month. There are three ongoing workman’s comp issues.
  1. Standing reports:
    1. University Police
      1. Chief Oweis is in the process of doing a law enforcement assessment. He has spoken with Student Affairs regarding mental health issues on campus and he has a lot of questions regarding vaccinations.  
    2. Environmental Health and Safety (EHS)
      1. EHS new website is live, committee notes are in the process of being archived on the website. Everyone is encouraged to become familiar with it.
      2. The procurement of chemicals process has been vetted with key stakeholders and is complete. P cards are not allowed to be utilized for chemical purchases, based on CO policies. The procurement flowchart should greatly assist in channeling requests to all parties efficiently and getting approval for the buyer. Culinary services is encouraged to coordinate with EH&S on the process in order to ensure minimal delays for their procurement.
      3. The Director recommended that Student Affairs assess any accessibility issues surrounding the Stevenson project, particularly on the North and Western sides of the facility. Michael Eynon acknowledged, will dispatch Brent to make an assessment.
      4. The next inspections are scheduled around Spring Break for Chemistry and Biology.
      5. The question of Office inspections was vetted during the meeting. Some observations below:
        1. Ruth asked if there was merit to doing self-inspections
        2. Gina discouraged self-inspections as not being an effective means of enforcing compliance. She mentioned that there are a lot of violations regarding earthquake securing (of shelves, etc.) and IT equipment (open wires, etc.)
        3. Erin offered to assist with Employee Relations
        4. Christy observed that RSS was a tool that was already designed for self and external inspections, with a progressive tracking mechanism built in.
        5. Missy suggested leveraging the Building Marshals to prepare for common areas prior to external inspections, hence a hybrid model of self and external inspections would be necessary. She also mentioned that Facilities will need to prepare for potential issues surrounding personal items brought into offices, such as book cases and rugs. There are campus policies on some of these effects that should be integrated into the process.
      6. EH&S will be meeting next week to go over long-term goals. Departments are encouraged to reach out to the Director if there is a shared goal to discuss.
      7. Chief Oweis asked if there was a safety-oriented campaign on campus. Ruth would like to do an annual safety fair. Missy recommended  that EH&S connect with Mo Phillips, who does a safety focused event every year in September.
      8. Ruth inquired as to possibly moving the monthly Safety Committee Meeting to a quarterly interval. Gina mentioned that there was a requirement for CSUEU to participate in a safety-oriented meeting on a monthly interval, and the current meeting satisfies that requirement.
    3. Student Affairs- No update, will follow up on accessibility issues around Stevenson.
    4. Facilities Management- No update, remaining flexible for increased work orders as re-population begins in the Fall.
    5. Emergency Services
      1. Missy is getting a lot of questions about the COVID vaccination. At this time, only the staff at the SHC are considered essential for the vaccination. As phase II of the vaccination program is implemented, it is assumed that the vaccine will be available for more employees of the campus. Priority will be given to those that have to come to campus for their responsibilities.
      2. Campus policy for masks is that they must be worn at all times, even outdoors. The only exception is if you are alone in an office, or in your personally owned vehicle by yourself.
      3. Signage is going out on campus to communicate the mask requirement. Mike Hazen expressed concern about the number of dog walkers on campus that don’t wear masks.
      4. COVID-19 cases to date on campus: Employees, 4 on campus and 12 off campus cases. None of the on campus cases are still active. Students: 5 on campus and 73 off campus.
      5. The weekly extension of the shelter in place order makes it difficult to plan beyond a week at a time. The current order will remain in place until the end of next week unless extended.
  1. New Business / Roundtable Discussion
    1. Mike Hazen mentioned that the MFA rollout is still ongoing, some employees that have been non-compliant with setting up MFA will lose access. He asked if equipment turn-ins for repair etc. would continue during the shelter in place, to which Kendall replied that they are doing their best to screen and limit campus visits for IT purposes. At this time, the contactless method of pick up and drop off will continue.
    2. Jeanne Clery Act Annual Security Report is complete and available online. Campus crime statistics increased slightly due to burglaries during the Kinkade Fire evacuation and some repeated sexual assaults that involved the same people. Mike Hazen mentioned that the Title IX staff on our campus deserves recognition for the work they have done in response and awareness.