Alum’s Gift Supports Campus Safety
Vassar’s Campus Safety Office has worked diligently to build trust while fostering partnerships that address the College’s specific safety priorities. One such partnership has developed between alum Louise Arias ’62 and Director of Campus Safety Arlene Sabo. Arias’s love for Vassar and concern about the challenges associated with living in an increasingly polarized world led her to financially support Vassar’s campus safety initiatives.
“An atmosphere of fear and intimidation of any kind, from within or without, inhibits the well-being, communication, understanding, and psychological peace of any community,” said Arias, whose donation was part of her 60th Reunion gift.
Arias recognized a need for additional philanthropic support to help protect students, faculty, staff, and visitors. She also admired Sabo’s caring and thoughtful efforts on behalf of Vassar during a difficult period. Arias and Sabo decided to focus Arias’s financial support on two key areas: training safety personnel in proven de-escalation techniques to use in challenging situations and implementing initiatives to foster trust among students and the Campus Safety Office.
Since receiving the gift, the Campus Safety Office has used it to create a Community Engagement Supervisor position, a role that involves working with students and Campus Activities on student events. Additionally, the gift allowed all officers to participate in de-escalation training, violence prevention, and active shooter response training, which was also provided to faculty.
“We’re really excited—all members of the department—to receive such support and be able to engage in training that is relevant and addresses major concerns of the moment,” Sabo said.