The San Diego City College academic student senate convened Oct. 26 to discuss new announcements and pending business.

The meeting, led by President Berta Harris, covered topics such as announcements regarding the campus police emergency line to discussing safety problems.

Shelia Herron-Fox, a dispatcher with the campus police, made an appearance to explain the hours of operation and some guidelines to using the emergency hotline.

“I wanted to come in and clarify some main points because there has been some bad information about us going around,” Herron-Fox said. “We are open 24 hours a day and seven days a week.”

Fox went on to inform the rooms about using faculty talk boxes inside the classrooms that are used to call the campus police directly for any emergency situation.

“Let your students know it’s there and they’ll use it,” Herron-Fox said. “Also, if you want to test it, just let us know and we’ll help you out.”
Herron-Fox also distributed badge-like information cards describing how to use the emergency line and what to say.
Another issue that initiated raised voices was on-campus safety issues that could lead to larger disasters.

Joe Rangus, business department representative, spoke to the senate about certain discrepancies he has seen around.

“I found an industrial sized power cleaner being charged, and when you do that it lets off hydrogen, oxygen and sulfuric acid that can get in peoples eyes and lungs,” Rangus said.

This brought on a discussion of many other discrepancies throughout campus that needed to be fixed as soon as possible.
Rangus said he spoke with the facility staff regarding the power cleaner and they said they did not know it was that harmful and were reluctant to move it.

The issue of having designated areas for dealing with chemicals and hazardous materials will be discussed in further meetings.

“When you have a system when people, in order to do their job, have to work around safety, one of these days you’re going to hurt somebody,” said Rangus.