Ohio State received a $257,000 grant for safety measures across its campuses. Credit: Credit: Zachary Rilley | Lantern File Photo
Twenty-eight colleges and universities across Ohio will collectively receive $7.5 million to improve campus safety, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine announced in a Jan. 13 press release.
Through the statewide Campus Safety Grant Program, Ohio State will be given $257,000 and plans to put the grant money toward enhancing safety features across its campuses, according to a Jan. 15 Ohio State News article.
“Our Department of Public Safety works collaboratively with local, state and federal agencies, and these grant funds will help us take important steps in enhancing safety and security at multiple campuses,” Monica Moll, Ohio State’s associate vice president of the Department of Public Safety, said in the article.
University spokesperson Dan Hedman said in an email the funding will support various safety solutions at the university’s campuses. Planned enhancements include new classroom locks, automated external defibrillator replacements, additional security cameras and improved fire and security alarms, Hedman said.
In addition, two projects will be implemented on Ohio State’s Columbus campus. The university plans to add drones to support the Ohio State University Police Division and purchase supplies for its 911 communications center, Hedman said.
Hedman said these plans are subject to change, due to possible budget adjustments and updated safety solutions.
The Campus Safety Grant Program is supported by the Ohio legislature in House Bill 2, according to DeWine’s press release. Notably, two previous rounds of the program funded more than $500,000 worth of safety enhancements for Ohio State in 2021 and 2022.
The 2021 campus safety grant funded new security cameras around the Columbus campus, according to a Sept. 1, 2021, Ohio State News article.
“Ohio remains committed to ensuring our colleges and universities have the resources they need to make their campuses as safe as possible,” DeWine said in the release. “These grants will allow us to continue this important work so students can focus on thriving in their studies, chasing their career goals, and reaching their full potential.”
The Ohio Department of Higher Education partnered with the Ohio School Safety Center — a division of the Ohio Department of Public Safety dedicated to helping schools and first responders increase student safety — to review each grant application and make funding recommendations, said Emily Torok, executive director of the safety center.
In the grant application, schools explained different vulnerabilities their campuses might have, how the proposed improvements will help increase safety and the estimated amount of money they will need to complete desired projects, Torok said.
Not every school received the total amount of money they specifically requested, as some only received a percentage, Torok said.
“We felt pretty good about the grants this year and being able to give everybody as much as we possibly could,” Torok said.
Hedman confirmed Ohio State received the total amount it initially requested.
A comprehensive list of the university’s planned safety and security enhancements —- and the respective campuses they will be added to — can be found in the Ohio State News article.
