Since the previous director’s departure, Interim Director of Safety and Security Sean Kennedy has begun to execute his plans for change at Allegheny, one of which was a better implementation of Title VII.

“[A] summary of Title VII is treating everybody with respect and dignity,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said his goal is to get the “best practices” in place, or the most effective strategies that he has found at the various institutions at which he has worked.

Kennedy said improving the implementation of Title VII will apply to security patrols, interactions with student government and almost anything else that happens on campus involving safety and security.

“Everything you do should be treating everyone with respect and dignity,” he said.

Allegheny Student Government President Haley Riley, ’16, said Kennedy has also been in contact with student government  and has been relaying some of his other plans with ASG.

“He talked about wanting to involve students a lot,” Riley said. “He talked about having student government and student leaders come and talk to security.”

According to Riley, Kennedy also wants to instill a greater sense of community among the security guards, saying that the guards should have had this long ago.

“They’ve just needed better leadership,” Riley said.

Riley said Kennedy is planning to do sensitivity training with security guards, and that they have been holding weekly security meetings to voice concerns and hold discussions.

Sophie Dodge, ’18, also had contact with Kennedy when he met with the Council on Diversity and Equity, of which she is a member. She said Kennedy described a need to have officers sign an accountability sheet saying that they have completed sensitivity training and seen the Museum of Tolerance videos.

“They do videos to help people with social issues,” said Randall Violette, ’17, who is also a member of CODE.

According to Violette, these videos are meant to help viewers be more sensitive to people’s identities, whether those identities are visible or not.

Dodge said Kennedy told CODE that he has had officers sign the accountability sheet at many of the institutions where he has worked.

Violette and Dodge agree that Kennedy is still figuring out exactly what needs done since he is still new, having only begun on Nov. 9, 2015. However, both are hopeful for the changes that he will make since he is so experienced in his field.

“I’m hoping that will translate to actual results in the end,” Dodge said.