The ad hoc Committee on Campus Safety, Security and Hospitality at the University of Notre Dame has submitted its report and recommendations to the University’s president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C.
The 12-page report includes 21 recommendations from the committee, which reviewed protocols and practices and considered concerns or suggestions that people have raised in regard to on-campus activities during home football game weekends.
Father Jenkins will take the recommendations under advisement and, in consultation with other University leaders, determine which initiatives should be accepted, and whether those that are accepted can be implemented immediately or should be phased in over time.
“The University is appreciative of the time and effort the members of this committee have put into their work,” Father Jenkins said. “They are all incredibly busy and talented people, and we are fortunate to be the beneficiaries of their expertise and advice.
“I will study their report carefully and have a public response prepared by the middle of April.”
Convened in October, the ad hoc committee met collectively four times, and on numerous occasions the members of three sub-committees also met to discuss specific issues related to safety and security, hospitality and communications.
Committee members examined the policies and procedures used at Notre Dame – including several hours of observation prior to, during and after the last home game of the 2008 season – and on other university campuses, in the National Football League, and for non-athletics events. They read comments sent to a dedicated Web site by more than 200 alumni, parents, students, friends and University employees who shared positive and negative observations and experiences related to game day, and who offered a variety of helpful suggestions.
The committee was composed of:
- Stephanie Gallo (committee chair) – Chair of the Student Affairs Committee of the Notre Dame Board of Trustees, Gallo is a 1994 alumna of the University, a graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg Graduate School of Management, and the senior director of marketing for the E. & J. Gallo Winery of Modesto, Calif.
- Bob Agnew – The senior consultant on stadium security for the NFL since 1991, Agnew earned his bachelor’s degree from San Diego State University and master’s degree from George Washington University.
- Jill Bodensteiner – A member of the University’s general counsel’s office since 1997, Bodensteiner is now associate vice president and senior counsel. She earned her bachelor’s and master of business administration degrees from Notre Dame and her law degree from Washington University in St. Louis.
- Missy Conboy – Currently deputy athletics director, Conboy has been a member of the athletic department staff for 20 years. A 1982 graduate of Notre Dame and member and captain of the Irish women’s basketball team, she is a graduate of the University of Kansas School of Law.
- Ann Firth – A member of the student affairs senior staff since 1992, Firth is now associate vice president for student affairs with responsibilities for strategic planning for the division, residential life master planning, and various initiatives designed to better integrate academic and student life at the University. She earned her bachelor’s and law degrees from Notre Dame.
- Rev. Peter Jarret, C.S.C. – Father Jarret has served as religious superior of the Holy Cross priests and brothers at Notre Dame since 2006 after serving for the previous five years as rector of Keough Hall. An alumnus of the University with bachelor’s and master of divinity degrees, he chairs the board of the Life Treatment Center.
- Tim McOsker – A Notre Dame parent and 1984 alumnus, McOsker is a graduate of the UCLA School of Law and a partner in the Los Angeles law firm Mayer Brown, specializing in legal issues related to public safety and governmental, regulatory and administrative law. He previously served as chief of staff to the mayor of Los Angeles and chief deputy city attorney for the city of Los Angeles.
- Richard Nussbaum – A partner in the South Bend law firm Sopko, Nussbaum, Inabnit & Kaczmarek, Nussbaum is an alumnus with bachelor’s and law degrees. He is a former student-athlete and past president of the Notre Dame Alumni Association. His past work includes service as special counsel to the governor of Indiana, deputy prosecuting attorney for St. Joseph County and city attorney for the city of South Bend.
- Bob Reish – A senior from Exton, Pa., Reish is the 2008-09 student body president. He served for three years as a Class of 2009 officer, including president during his junior year.
- Frank Supovitz – The senior vice president for events for the NFL, Supovitz previously served as the NHL’s vice president for events and entertainment, vice president for marketing and a coordinating producer for Eventures, and manager and director for marketing, events and operations for Radio City Music Hall.
Frances Shavers, chief of staff to Father Jenkins, served as the staff liaison for the committee and assisted in its work.