Students, Faculty and Staff –

For the past several months, we have seen and heard calls for racial justice and equity from communities across the United States, including here in Denver, with law enforcement at the center of many of those conversations. As an urban campus, we have long realized the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Auraria Executives Council has been working together to ensure that commitment is reflected in our public safety practices on campus for every student, faculty, and staff member we serve. As part of our efforts to continue to foster a campus environment that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion for all Auraria Campus community members, the Auraria Campus has established the Auraria Campus Police Department (ACPD) Community Advisory Board.

The ACPD has prioritized and worked diligently to build positive relationships and strong partnerships with the institutions they serve. In an effort to continuously improve their partnership and especially better serve Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) across campus, the ACPD welcomes the dialogue, self-reflective learning, and action that will come from their joint work with the ACPD Community Advisory Board.  

Comprised of students, faculty, staff, and members of the surrounding Denver community appointed by the leadership of our four partner institutions, the advisory board will be an independent committee that will look for ways to identify strengths and weaknesses, broaden lines of communication, and to generate advice and insight around public safety on the Auraria Campus. Applications for membership are available on the Auraria Campus website and must be submitted by midnight on Monday, October 12, 2020. 

The advisory board will put forth a list of actionable items related to campus issues and concerns, community outreach programs, training and policy development to ensure that public safety aligns with campus community best practices, including the protections within SB20-217.

We want the dialogue between the campus community and the ACPD to remain open. To that end, the Auraria Higher Education Center continues to work on several different initiatives including the publication of the annual report, outlining the current state and operations of the ACPD, which you can read here.

We look forward to seeing the results of the collaborative efforts of the Community Advisory Board and the ACPD, as they work to resolve issues that directly impact the safety and quality of life for all members of the Auraria Campus community.

Sincerely,

Everette Freeman, Ed.D.
President | Community College of Denver

Janine Davidson, Ph.D.
President | Metropolitan State University of Denver

Michelle Marks, Ph.D.
Chancellor | University of Colorado Denver

Colleen Walker
Chief Executive Officer | Auraria Higher Education Center