The University Senate is beginning to resurrect a campus security task force that was responsible for some of the university’s anti-crime efforts before it began losing steam almost a decade ago.

Although the first security task force attempt, which began in the 1980s, turned into a dud, officials have begun to revive it through sporadic meetings. Senators said they hope it will help deter crime in the area by giving student leaders and university officials a forum to create innovative crime prevention ideas.

“The upswing in criminal activity … contributes to a negative atmosphere that we don’t want for this university,” said current senate chairman James Gates, speaking at yesterday’s executive committee meeting. “A task force on security is currently inactive. Now seems like an appropriate time [to resume it]. What can the senate do to raise the level of awareness among students so they don’t become a victim of crime?”

The senate executive committee still needs to determine who will be on the task force and how often it will meet, but senators said they expect the effort to be a success because it proved useful in the past.

In the mid-1980s university officials, student leaders and campus police security issues under the senate’s direction. These meetings eventually spurred the annual safety walk and the bluelight emergency phones that are scattered across the campus and outlying areas, said former senate chairman Joel Cohen.

But when the president’s Continuous Quality Improvement Council assumed control of the task force from the senate nearly a decade ago, leaders eventually stopped meeting, Cohen said.

As senate chairman, Cohen realized the missed opportunity and resumed the task force in 2004, but it lacked structure and regularity – something the senate is trying to address by carefully selecting the members, Gates said.

“It’s not bad for people from all different parts of campus to have this discussion because there’s people with different expertise who are at these meetings – not just police,” Cohen added.

University Police Chief Ken Krouse has recently taken steps to engage various arms of the university community. Krouse appeared at the senate executive committee and university President Dan Mote’s monthly meeting on Tuesday and discussed resuming the task force. He also spoke to the Student Government Association Wednesday and plans to address the senate’s full body meeting in November, said student Sen. Patrick Hughes.

“Safety on the campus is a joint effort and it’s absolutely dependent on the cooperation of the community with university officials,” said Maj. Cathy Atwell, spokeswoman for university police. “We encourage students to share their thoughts and ideas, we always welcome their comments.”

However, students still say a lack of dialogue exists between students and police.

“I don’t see much interaction between police and students except police arresting students for underage drinking, busting parties and that sort of thing,” said Clarence Dang, a senior business major.

The interest in the task force’s revival comes during a semester with 15 reports of on-campus robberies this year and constant calls from students for increased police presence. The campus also saw a 50 percent increase in violent crime in 2005, ranking the university second nationwide among state universities with a comparable undergraduate student body, according to FBI statistics.

Student senators said, at the very least, the task force could make students feel more at ease.

“A task force gives an opportunity for students to give their two cents and that’s so important because … we’re the ones who are worried, I think, the most,” said student Sen. Katie Hurlbut. “Any forum where students would be telling Mr. Krouse over and over again, ‘I don’t feel safe,’ I think that’s the most important thing.”

Staff writer Alex Tilitz contributed to this report. Contact reporter Ben Block at blockdbk@gmail.com.