The Metropolitan State College of Denver student newspaper, serving the Auraria Campus since 1979
AHEC fails to review allegations
Administration is moving up
Barry Tobin Deanna Allen
The MSCD administrative offices are moving to the Terracenter located at 1100 Stout St. The Terracenter over路 looks the Auraria Campus and its unique architecture stands out along Speer Boulevard. See story on page 4.
Staff Writers An AHEC vice pr~sident admitted possible negligence in following up charges that AurariaPublic Safety responded too slowly to reports of a burglar with a gun in the Student Union last May. JoAnn Soker, executive vice president for administration for AHEC, said that normally she would refer complaints of this type to David Rivera, APS director of public safety. "I may have screwed up. I might not have sent it over," Soker said. "Honestly, I don't remember what I did." Public Safety Director Rivera said Feb. 19 that he did not recall seeing ai;iy correspondence from Soker regarding the May incident. The allegations came tolight when James Brodell, MSCD associate professor or journalism, said he monitored the entire May 7 incident on bis police scanner at home. "APS is one of 150 channels I scan," Brodell said. The first broadcast of a burglary in Student Union Room 255 D was at about 4:28 p.m., according to Brodell. "When they dido 't respond within 10 minutes, I notified The Met to take precautionary measures," he said. "My major concern was the safety of students." The Metropolitan 's offices are one floor below room 255D. Deb Brown, aMetropolitan reporter, requested a copy of the dispatcher's tape from APS public information officer Jim Ferguson on Mays; 1991. That request was denied. ''When I requested the tape, Ferguson told me the matter blundering by APS. I also understand that in the case of the _was under investigation," Brown said. burglary call to the student center May 7 about 4:30 p.m., "'How did you find out about this,' he asked me," she there was an excessive delay in response. You said that said. "By the time I got back to The report di~ not show up on your Met, Ferguson already called to hot sheet." check out who I was." Soker responded to "Honestly, I don't remember whatl did." Ferguson confirmed Feb. 19 that Brodell'sletteronJune4, 199l. - JoAnn Saker, AHEC vice president Brown made the information request She did not mention the incident and said be would have released it and instead defended APS. after the investigation was completed if she had asked. "I believe they do an excellent job," she wrote. "AlBrodell wrote to Soker after Brown informed him of the though we know that we can always improve." APS denial. In a response letter June 10, 1991, Brodell wrote: "My In his May 15, 1991,letter,Brodellsaid: "APSbasagood experience outside the academic community suggests that reason for not releasing records. To do so would give the failure to respond to a fire alarm or to a report of a serious public an idea of what is going on. They would see continual crime is a major-league type of error which requires a full-
ews Elders encourage student activism
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dress investigation. I hope you are planning to look into this." According to Rivera, the only complaints from Brodell he was aware of involved procedures for records releases. "It doesn't come to mind that we followed up on any other complaints from him," Rivera said. During a Feb. 18 interview, Soker said that APS bas no obligation to release tapes. "APS exercises tight control on what they release," Brodell said. "That's why I include them on my scan list." The Metropolitan obtained a taped copy of the May 7 telephone conversation between the APS emergency dispatcher and a Metropolitan staff photographer. Concerned for her safety, the photographer called APS see APS page 5
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