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Northern Illinois University

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News Release

Contact: Joe King, Office of Public Affairs
(815) 753-4299

October 7, 2003

NIU police building relationships on Greek Row

DEKALB -- Northern Illinois University has embarked upon a new program to improve relationships with all university-affiliated fraternities and sororities.

The program, which is a collaborative effort between the Department of Public Safety, University Programming and Activities and the University Judicial Office, provides a liaison from the University Police to each of the 36 Greek organizations on campus.

Liaison officers are working with the leaders of those organizations to provide information and resources to help ensure the safety of the 1,300 students who participate in the campus Greek system. For instance, as part of the program, the NIU Police Department is offering to provide free security surveys to all fraternity and sorority houses to identify areas where safety can be improved.

University police also are offering a wide range of programs to interested chapters on topics ranging from preventing acquaintance rape and hazing, liquor liability and the law, and even Red Cross first aid.

Liaison officers are also participating in the planning for Greek events like Yell Like Hell and the annual tug-of-war competition, Tugs. Officers will also attend those events to assist in crowd control, and plan to provide a police presence on Greek Row during weekends and other high traffic times.

As is the case with all programs conducted by Campus Police, the focus of these efforts will be prevention rather than enforcement. Officers will look to identify potential problems and deal with them before they become major issues, said Lt. Matt Kiederlen.

The DeKalb Police Department remains the primary law enforcement agency in the Greek Row area, with responsibility for taking police reports regarding criminal activity.

For more information on these efforts, contact Lt. Matt Kiederlen at 753-1212.

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