BSU Family Hub Newsletter - Spring 2024 Registration, Native American Heritage Month, and More!

Resource Spotlight
BSU Police Department 

Written By: Liz McLam, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant

Bridgewater State University's Police Department supports Bridgewater State University in keeping BSU students, faculty, staff, and visitors safe. They work with the campus community to prevent crime, solve problems, and take proactive steps in making BSU a safe place.

BSUPD is widely recognized as the premier state university police department in Massachusetts.  All BSU police officers attend municipal police academy training and have full police authority on university property and throughout the town of Bridgewater.  The department is equipped with state-of-the-art technology and law enforcement tools, enabling it to respond to virtually any incident or emergency.  We want our students, faculty, staff, and visitors to have the safest environment possible in which to learn, live, work, and be successful. Having our own police department enables us to provide a high level of protection and service to our community.  Officers have been trained in crime prevention, sexual assault investigations, bicycle patrol, drug recognition, crisis negotiation, etc.  Many of our officers are certified as EMT’s, and all are certified in CPR, AED, and first aid.  BSUPD has established a public access defibrillation & Narcan program providing AEDs & Narcan across campus and offers free training and certifications courses for each. The department delivers several hundred educational programs each year to the community in crime prevention, personal safety, civilian response to active shooter events, and basic self-defense classes to name a few. 

Scott Hall Resident Assistant and Junior at BSU, Kira Hodges shared her experience with BSUPD’s active shooter training, which was given during Residence Life and Housing’s Resident Assistant Training, “I thought it was a very eye-opening training, it really helped me understand the tragedies that can occur in the world we live in today. I thought that Officer McLernon did a really good job at giving our active shooter training, he was very good at keeping his audience engaged. You could tell that he genuinely wanted to spread awareness and teach its importance. As an RA on campus, it was something that I definitely needed to do and I’m very glad I was able to.”  

BSUPD also has two very special officers on their force: K9 Zach and K9 Mikey. K9 Zach and K9 Mikey are both American Black Labs acquired through Puppies Behind Bars. K9 Zach is certified along with his handler, Captain Ryan Tepper, BSUPD Patrol Bureau Commander, as an explosive detection team and works alongside the MA State Police Bomb Squad. K9 Mikey is a Crisis Response K9 brought in to work one on one with community members and help calm down someone who may be in crisis, allowing BSUPD to be able to figure out how to best proceed. Along with her handler, Detective Sergeant Robert McEvoy, K9 Mikey also works with numerous groups both on and off campus for outreach and assistance. Both K9 Zach and K9 Mikey have become friendly faces on campus and incite excitement amongst all BSU Bears! 

While BSUPD strive to keep the campus safe, incidents can occur anywhere, at any time, and community members should take proactive steps to protect themselves, such as: being aware of their surroundings; locking rooms, cars and office doors; securing valuables; walking in groups, particularly after dark; utilizing the BSU Transit Bus Service and reporting suspicious and activity to BSUPD immediately.  Community members should also download our free Rave Guardian Mobile Safety app - find out more information here.  

The Bridgewater State University Police Department serves as a resource for all of BSU, working to keep everyone safe. BSUPD can be found in the Operations Center, 200 Great Hill Drive. You can also reach BSUPD by phone at 508.531.1212 or email at bsupolice@bridgew.edu. 

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Resource Spotlight
Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice 
Community Service Opportunities 

Written By: Liz McLam, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant   

Bridgewater State University’s Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice (MRISJ) connects members of BSU’s community with community service opportunities on campus and in local communities. They strive to guide students in both their personal, educational, and professional growth and development.  

The MRISJ offers a wide variety of service opportunities. One of which is local service projects. For these opportunities, BSU community members will engage with their surrounding community and provide a multitude of services to better it.

Another type of community service that the MRISJ offers is on campus engagement. These programs are held on campus and push the engagement between staff, students, and faculty through conversation, action, and service that focus on various topics.  

MRISJ also hosts annual community service events throughout the year where Bridgewater State University’s community members can come together with regional partners during national days of service and annual campus events, such as the 9/11 Day of Service, MLK Day of Service and Earth Day.  

When asked about the impact of participating in MRISJ programs, one of MRISJ’s Justice Fellows reflected, “Working [with] the MRISJ allows you to get more involved in the community. You learn so many amazing leadership skills, ways to approach engagement in the community, and how to enact effective change”.  

The Martin Richard Institute for Social Justice is located at 161 Summer Street, Bridgewater MA. They can also be reached by phone at 508.531.2199, email at MRISJ@bridgew.edu, and all service opportunities are also shared on EngageBSU.  

Resource Spotlight
Wellness Center  

Written By: Lexi Brassil, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant  

The Wellness Center at Bridgewater State University provides all active students with a variety of services to support their overall health throughout their time at BSU.

Health Services offers many services such as same-day sick visits, treatment of minor illness or injury, women's health, flu shots, STI screenings, physical exams and sports physicals, and more. Students do not have to enroll in the university-sponsored insurance plan to use Health Services, but appointments are required.

The Wellness Center is also home to Counseling Services, which has a variety of mental health resources such as one on one counseling and mobile applications designed to support your mental health journey.

Finally, the Wellness Center is also home to Health Promotion which supplies the campus community with a variety of educational resources and programming related to all aspects of health. 

Your student can find the Wellness Center on the ground floor of Weygand Hall, or can call them at 508-531-1252.  

Resource Spotlight
Office of Community Standards 

Written By: Liz McLam, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant  

The Office of Community Standards serves to help students learn the value of their rights and realize their responsibilities as members of the campus community.

The Office of Community Standards responds to alleged violations of BSU’s Student Code of Conduct.  The Community Standards process is designed to be an educational one, which engages students in their own educational, personal, and social development.

The Office of Community Standards offers several other resources and opportunities to the campus community. This includes educational programs and presentations that are available to students, faculty, and staff.  

You can find more information about your rights and responsibilities as a member of the BSU community in the Student Code of Conduct. 

The Office of Community Standards can be found in DiNardo Hall, Room 133. The office is open Monday through Friday, 8:30 am to 4:30 pm and can be reached either by phone at 508.531.6177 or by email at CommunityStandards@bridgew.edu. 

Resource Spotlight
BSU CARE Team and the BSU Food Pantry  

Written By: Lexi Brassil, CSE Digital Engagement Assistant 

Bridgewater State University is dedicated to helping all students succeed and has many services and resources to do so. Two of which are the BSU CARE Team and the BSU Food Pantry.  

The BSU CARE Team is meant for providing guidance and assistance to students who are displaying concerning behaviors, are engaging in other behaviors that may be perceived as being harmful, or who share information that is cause for concern. The CARE Team takes referrals from students, faculty and family members/supporters about others who are raising concern. While this service is useful, it must be noted that it is not for emergencies and if anyone is in immediate danger are strongly encouraged to call 911. The CARE Team is also committed to educating the university community about existing policies and assists community members on how to effectively work with students of concern.  

For more information on the CARE team, including how to make a report, click here. Individuals who have questions regarding the CARE Team, please reach out to the Dean of Students office by phone at 508-531-1276 or visit Boyden Hall, Room 106, Monday - Friday 8:00 am - 5:00 pm. For more information on resources available for students in need of additional support, click here. 

Bridgewater State University also aims to reduce short-term food insecurity for students experiencing the stress of financial constraints. Students who struggle to eat also struggle to focus, perform academically, and complete their journey to graduation. Therefore, BSU seeks to alleviate food insecurity in an effort to support student success and to ensure that no student goes hungry because of a lack of income or access to food. We support students who find themselves facing these challenges by providing resources in three distinct ways: 

1. Access for students to our BSU Food Pantry which is supported by donations from faculty, staff and students as well as the Greater Boston Food Bank. In addition, our student-run Bears Who Care organization on campus helps their fellow students by maintaining, restocking and fundraising for the pantry. The BSU Food Pantry is located on the ground floor of the Rondileau Student Union (RSU) and functions as an on-campus resource for our students who may be experiencing food insecurity. The Food Pantry is accessible in-person whenever the RSU is open. 

2. BSU, in partnership with food service provider Sodexo USA, recently began participating in SNAP. Students who receive SNAP benefits can use them to buy staples such as bread, milk, and fully prepared heat-and-eat meals at “Bears-to-Go” a new section within our “Bears’ Den” dining hall.  

3. We also offer a “Swipe it Forward” program in which students can donate meals from their purchased meal plans, that go into a “meal bank” for students who are food insecure. Students who are requesting swipes are met with individually and given personal support and resources that include information about SNAP, our own BSU Food Pantry as well as food pantries that are near their home. 

According to the MA Hungry Free Campus Coalition, because we have a Food Pantry, SNAP and a Swipe it Forward Program, we are considered a “hunger free campus”!  

To see more of what we offer on campus, please visit our external Food Assistance site.