Fresh gear

Presumably in response to outrage over the allocation of $20,000 — $25,000 in additional funds to provide for added security and other services on the Butler lawns during Bacchanal, Vice President for Public Safety James McShane has put out an email explaining how the funds received by Public Safety will be put to use.

The text of the email is as follows:

Dear all,

As we come up on this weekend’s The Bacchanal, Columbia University Public Safety has been hard at work ensuring that the event is as safe and orderly as possible. To this end, we have requested that various student government organizations contribute funds to cover any budget gaps we at Public Safety may encounter.

Among the chief targets of this additional funding are overtime salaries for officers and administrative staff. Also, in response to concerns expressed over the last year by Deans Valentini and Boyce, Public Safety will be investing in updated equipment for verifying the sobriety of students in the concert areas. This will ensure a sober and comfortable community experience for all attendees.

Pursuant to 20 U.S.C. § 1092(f), University policy, and the requests of various campus organizations, we are providing the Columbia community with a detailed account of how this extra funding will be spent. Please see the attached document. Alternatively, please see the following link:

[redacted; document reproduced below]

Columbia University
Department of Public Safety

Spring 2015 Bacchanal Auxiliary Security and Suppression Allocations

$6,443.19 — OVERTIME SALARIES, ADMINISTRATIVE
$4,330.19 — OVERTIME SALARIES, GENERAL
$2,955.00 — SOBRIETY TEST EQUIPMENT, TRAINING
$1,731.33 — RESTRAINTS (ZIP TIES, QUICKSAND)
$1,592.92 — NETS, SNARES, MOATS, BEARS
$943.18 — TASER BATTERIES, ERGONOMIC HAND GRIPS
$900.00 — PEPPER (BAND PERFORMANCE FEE)
$817.11 — PEPPER (GROUND)
$323.00 — PEPPER (SPRAY)
$300.00 — THREE HUNNA
$200.00 — RICARDO MORALES PASSED “GO”
$155.11 — LANDMINES, U.S. MILITARY SURPLUS
$99.99 — UNEVEN PAVERS TO PREVENT ESCAPE
$19.99 + S&H — SOLAR-POWERED CHEESE GRATER
$4,228.99 — WASTE, EMBEZZLEMENT, ADDITION ERRORS

Thank you.

JFM

James F. McShane
Vice President for Public Safety
Columbia University
Low Library, Rm. 101
Mail Code 4301
535 W. 116th Street
New York, New York 10027
212-854-6792

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