Ticketing Policy Prompts Student Protest

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

On Sept. 30, senior business economics major Jacob Yackley led a protest outside Adams Hall against Campus Safety’s ticketing policy. According to Interim Chief Timothy Finneran, the policy taken from the California Vehicle Code 22450 allows Campus Safety to send students stop sign related citations via email without proof of the violation.

“The goal of the protest was to shed light on the abusive power that Campus Safety has and the fact that there’s no accountability for the stuff that they do,” Yackley said. “Furthermore, if they are to give tickets to people, there should be adequate proof provided. Otherwise, they shouldn’t do it.”

Yackley held the protest in support of his roommate, senior psychology major Michael Fenton, who received a Campus Safety ticket by email. The citation was for rolling through a stop sign on campus.

“My roommate tried to go talk to Campus Safety and dispute it,” Yackley said. “They rejected his dispute. They said, ‘Pay it in seven days, otherwise it will go on your student account.’ Something didn’t sit right with me about that.”

As many as 15 people gathered at the protest. Many were friends of Yackley or Fenton, although several bystanders joined as well.

During the protest, four campus safety officers approached Yackley. A lieutenant also spoke with Yackley and got his information in order to set up a meeting to address the issue.

“It started off a little aggressive, but in the end it was productive in the sense that we talked about our concerns, and I think they saw our perspective,” Yackley said.

Finneran, however, did not share Yackley’s view.

“It had no impact. We continue to write citations at the stop signs on campus,” Finneran said.

Finneran explained that since his officers are on foot, they are unable to pursue someone in a car. Therefore, the officers write down the car’s make and model, license plate number, driver description and direction of travel, and then write the citation.

“As [the officer is] witness to the violation, that’s their proof of the violation of the law,” Finneran said. “We don’t have a video camera or personal video camera systems that our officers wear at this time. We’re looking into that.”

Finneran was not the only one to suggest that a camera system could help solve the problem.

“If there was a video camera on my roommate’s ticket, I would not be [at this protest] right now,” Yackley said.

One of Yackley’s friends, senior business major Jonathan Vasquez, noted this as well. Vasquez’s father is a retired Cathedral City police officer.

“[A camera system] would definitely back them up and make things less controversial,” Vasquez said. “If they’re going to keep ticketing and just put your ticket in your mailbox, then I think they need some kind of proof.”

The meeting between the Campus Safety lieutenant and Yackley is meant to address this issue and possibly talk about setting up a budget for a camera system. However, this meeting has not taken place yet, and as of now, the policy will not change.

“I just want to encourage all students, staff and visitors to drive safely on the campuses. I’ve witnessed several incidents personally here,” Finneran said. “Statistics say about 7,000 deaths per year are attributed to collisions where people don’t stop for stop signs, per the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.”

The current citation system at APU has been in place since 2011.

“The citations DCS issues are administrative, but future plans are to attach the violations to DMV records,” Finneran said.

The APU vehicle code is available online at www.apu.edu/campussafety/services/vehiclecode/www.apu.edu.

Cougars Den Under Renovation Until Spring

This article originally appeared in ZU News.

Located on Cougar Walk, the Cougars' Den Cafe has been undergoing renovations since June. It is set to reopen next semester with new kitchen equipment, furniture and service lines.

As students eagerly anticipate the new changes (and a wider selection of food to choose from), APU's facilities management team is working diligently to ensure the Den has a redefined look and experience.

“We don’t have a hard completion date yet," said Tom Hunt, associate vice president of facilities management. "We just finished getting all our permits from the city, from the planning department, the building department, the county fire department and health."

The contractor, Doug Giles Construction, anticipates that the work will take eight weeks after all the required permits have been received.

“It will definitely be open by next semester...[hopefully] before Christmas," Hunt said.

In addition to new kitchen equipment, the Den is also getting new cabinetry, three new service lines, a separate area for beverages, more seating, a new floor, a redesigned ceiling and a fresh menu with more options.

“A lot of stuff was just outdated," Hunt said. Other features, such as restrooms, are being redesigned to be accessible to students with disabilities, in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

“To accommodate different size stall configurations and number of fixtures, we are basically swapping the restrooms," Hunt said. "The men's restroom is going to become the women's and the women's is going to become the men's."

The contractors also plan to provide new floors and ceilings, redo the electrical wiring and change the restroom entrances.

“[Before], as the door would open, you would see people in the restroom; there was no visual blockage," Hunt said. "[We've] made it so that you don’t look in the restroom and still see people."

Additionally, the Den will lose the door to the Student Post Office. The door was rarely used, according to Hunt.

All new plumbing was installed so the concrete floor had to be saw-cut to allow this. Once the new floor tile goes in, this won't be seen through.

“There’s a possibility of a follow-on project next summer which [would] involve some of these other spaces [like] The Clause office and the SGA office,” Hunt said. “If a relocation of those is possible, we would expand the Cougars' Den, and we would relocate the restrooms to be accessible off of Cougar Walk. [This is] so the restroom would be available to people outside as well, which is a common complaint we’ve heard.”

The renovations are being funded by University Services.

“It’s currently contracted for $450,000, but it is subject to change,” Hunt said. He expects to get both a final contract, price figure and completion date from the contractor soon.

Many students at APU have felt the impact of the renovations at the Cougars' Den.

“I’m pretty bummed out that the Den is closed, to be honest," said Blake Huxell, a sophomore commercial music major on the business track. "I used to get pizza there a couple times a week. I’m really looking forward to it opening back up soon."

The Cougars' Den isn't the only dining place on East Campus that is experiencing some change. A few doors down, Mexicali Grill has also undergone some development. Since the Den has closed, those employees have relocated to Mexicali and are primarily working during the newly added late shifts.

"We are quite overloaded with staff," Sam L'anteigne, junior theology and economics major and second year Mexicali employee said. "That has had the effect of putting many of us veterans into managerial positions, mentoring the new Den staff and training each one."

Mexicali is now open until 12 a.m. from Sunday through Thursday, and until 7 p.m. on Fridays. In previous semesters, Mexicali closed at 8 p.m Monday through Thursday, 7.p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday.

“I love that it’s open late," freshman Christian ministries major Garrett Davis said. "I can go get a quesadilla or burrito whenever I want now. The other night, I went after 11 p.m. and got nachos."

Mexicali’s official hours are Monday to Thursday, 8 a.m to 12 a.m., Fridays, 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Sundays, 5 a.m. to 12 a.m. It is closed on Saturdays.