N.C. makes safety a budget priority

The UNC-system Board of Governors made campus safety the No. 1 fiscal priority in the 2009-11 budget it approved Friday.

What it did not specify is how each university must spend the money they receive.

""I'm not going to go in and tell the campuses they have to do stuff a certain way"" said Brent Herron, UNC-system's new associate vice president of safety and emergency operation.

The board requested more than $14 million to fund safety improvements. The money will fund new technology, mental health programs and increased law enforcement personnel.

Our first priority was campus safety" and I think we made great strides in that last year but we've got a ways to go said UNC-system President Erskine Bowles at the board's meeting Friday.

The legislature will decide next year how much to allot in the budget for campus safety.

Herron said he will work with each school to decide how much money they need to ensure security.

Herron has visited the majority of UNC-system campuses since taking office in September.

My impression is that most are doing a very good job of addressing security needs Herron said. Our area to improve on however" is overall education … making people more aware of their surroundings and their resources they can utilize.""

Herron said most important to him is identifying threats early enough to prevent problems and to do this mostly through better assessments and a system that directs students in need toward psychological services.

Funding for security technology is next in importance" Herron said. Campuses systemwide are working on developing ways to assess and subdue threats.

UNC-Greensboro police Chief James Herring said his school is investing in counseling services and installing PA systems in classrooms and dorms" but he is worried that the tight budget will affect the quality of their operations.

""Right now we're sort of in limbo"" Herring said.

Will public safety be exempt from budget cuts? I just don't know.""

The UNC-system schools will not receive equal safety funding" said Jeff McCracken" director of public safety at UNC-Chapel Hill.

UNC-CH will likely receive less than its neighboring universities.

""Different schools have requested different things and will receive different amounts"" McCracken said, explaining that they didn't ask for any additional funds for the next fiscal year.

He said they didn't ask for more money because they were already up to par on safety standards.

Do I think safety's the number one expenditure because there's a problem with safety? No"" he said.

Do I think it's number one because it should always be a concern on the back of our minds? Yes.""

Herron said recent events have put safety in the spotlight"" but it has always been a top priority and will remain so.

""I'll be honest with you. I think safety should be the number one issue on the budget. For now and for the future.""



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