To Whom It May Concern:
On behalf of the Student-Alumni Committee on Institutional Security Policy (STALCOMMPOL), I am writing to invite you to attend an informational forum on a student safety bill being introduced into Massachusetts Legislature. Senate Bill 1735, titled “An Act to Provide for the Public Inspection of Records Made of Received by Special State Police Officers at Educational Institutions and Hospital”, requires private university police departments to disclose police reports as public records. This bill has been co-sponsored by state senator Jarret Barrios and representative Timothy Toomey, whose districts include the Cambridge area.
This bill is important to keeping students at MA private universities informed of their safety in their respective environments. Currently, students at public universities have greater access to police records because their departments are mandated by law to disclose their records. This is not the case at private universities, and the bill if enacted would grant equal-access for students at both private and public schools.
The groups hosting the safety forum — Security on Campus, Inc. and STALCOMMPOL — are inviting students from private schools in the area (MIT, BU, and Harvard, among others) to speak to Representative Toomey who is interested in attending the event. Other student newspapers, like BU’s Daily Free Press, have previously written news articles and editorials supporting this legislation. They have also been invited for press release purposes.
The forum will be held at Harvard Law School, Pound Hall, Room 506 on Wednesday April 20 from 4:00-5:30.
Because of the nature of the bill, it is best to inform the affected student communities about this bill and student newspapers has always been a sound vehicle of reporting relevant news to the student community. Your presence would be appreciated. Please do not hesitate to ask me any questions regarding the forum or the legislative bill.
Sincerely,
Harry Kim 140 Bay State Road Boston, MA, 02215 847-417-6242 [email protected]
