Faith-based organizations are one of the top five at-risk sectors in terms of security and emergency preparedness, according to a 2007 U.S. State Department Briefing. Many places of worship are “behind the curve, compared to the secular world” when it comes to keeping their people safe, the Briefing revealed (Center for Public Safety Innovation [CPSI], 2015). The results of a 2008 poll of 4,000 churches highlighted this fact, with 75 percent saying they had no security at their churches, and 22 percent saying security wasn’t necessary (CPSI, 2015).

To change these statistics, St. Petersburg College’s Center for Public Safety Innovation (CPSI) held an 8-hour training at the Allstate Center on September 25^th titled, “Keeping Your Church and Ministry Safe in an Uncertain World.” Dr. Fronrath, Allstate Center Provost, kicked off the event by warmly greeting the 55-plus ministry leaders, volunteers, and law enforcement practitioners attending the event, some from as far away as Gainesville.

The class, taught by Thomas Gillan, Founder and Director of The PSU Crisis Management and Training Group, Inc., addressed how to handle a variety of threats, including medical emergencies, domestic violence, child care protection, and active shooter events. The course also covered liability issues, the need for a security assessment checklist, organizing safe mission trips, and how to prepare for and recover from natural and man-made disasters.

The training was well received by attendees, with one participant saying, “The information I learned today is so important to the safety of my church. I’m so glad St. Petersburg College provided this training to the community.”

Eileen LaHaie, CPSI’s Executive Director, noted that, “As part of our ongoing commitment to the community policing philosophy, these important training opportunities offered by the College benefit not only our law enforcement agencies but also the communities they serve.”

We want to take this time to thank St. Petersburg College’s Center for Public Safety Innovation, Dr. Fronrath, Eileen LaHaie and Thomas Gillan for all you are doing to help equip our church leaders with the knowledge and training that they need to keep our nations faith-based organizations safe for all who attend.

In regard to CPSI, each CPSI division services a particular area of public safety. All divisions develop and deliver a broad range of training products in each area of expertise. Also, the CPSI provides a Training Calendar that lists future training opportunities. If you’d like more information about CPSI, you can send an email to CPSI.Info@spcollege.edu.

Center for Public Safety Innovation. (2015, September 25). Keeping Your Church and Ministry Safe in an Uncertain World. Training provided at St. Petersburg College Allstate Center, St. Petersburg.

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,
That saved a wretch like me….
I once was lost but now am found,
Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught…
my heart to fear.
And Grace, my fears relieved.
How precious did that Grace appear…
the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares…
we have already come.
T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far…
and Grace will lead us home…

John Newton

Last Friday was no ordinary Friday. Early in the morning, a gathering took place outside on the grounds of the St. Petersburg College Allstate Center. What kind of gathering am I talking about? The Allstate Center honored those lost on September 11^th, 2001 with a 9/11 Remembrance Ceremony. Dr. Shirley Johnson, professor at St. Petersburg College – College of Public Safety, presented the history of the 9/11 tragedy. Her presentation was followed by Presentation of Colors by the Pinellas Park Police Department Honor Guard. After the Raising of the Flag and the Pledge of Allegiance, Police Recruit Class 198 cadet Ashley Mehler presented a remembrance speech. The Bag Pipe musicians played Amazing Grace to a sober and respectful audience.

Carol Mashburn, Senior Administrative Services Specialist at the St. Petersburg College Allstate Center noted, “It’s hard to believe that 14 years ago one of the most tragic and devastating events occurred in our nation’s history.  “Where were you when the world stopped turning….” kept churning in my head as I remembered exactly where I was, what I was doing and thinking as I was glued to the news in unbelief. Today, the destruction is no longer visible. Buildings and memorials have been constructed. But we set aside a few minutes to honor and mourn thousands of people we’ve never met. We are mindful that in a heartbeat our lives and a nation can change forever, and we will never forget.”

Thank you Carol for sharing your thoughts with us. We are grateful to you for sharing your personal insight into such a tragic event. And thank you to everyone at the Allstate Center who participated in this most important event that, as Carol said, we must never forget.

Until next time…

Contributors: Carol Mashburn, Senior Administrative Services Specialist at St. Petersburg College Allstate Center, Dr. Shirley Johnson, Professor at St. Petersburg College Allstate Center

 

On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the Southeastern Public Safety Institute (SEPSI) hosted the fall Law Enforcement Academy Recruitment event at the St. Petersburg College  Allstate Center. The turnout was great with 55 cadets in attendance! The get-together was held in the Florida Room which was filled with cadets enjoying lunch and/or visiting with law enforcement representatives from area agencies.

Regarding area agencies, I had the opportunity to visit with Officer R. Hunt from the Pinellas Park Police Department. When I asked her if she’d would mind sharing her thoughts about the event, she kindly shared with me, “This is my 3rd time attending this event. I enjoy the one on one with the recruits since I’m usually on campus observing them in the classroom setting with little time to talk. This is a good opportunity.”

In addition to the Pinellas Park Police Department agency presence, several other agencies participated in the event as well including:

• Gulfport Police Department
• Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office
• St. Petersburg Police Department
• Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office
• Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office
• Plant City Police Department
• Altamonte Springs Police Department

As a result, SPC Law Enforcement Academy cadets were provided with a valuable opportunity to talk one on one with law enforcement personnel as they learned which agencies are hiring. Dwayne Williams, St. Petersburg College Student Support Assistant at the Allstate Center noted, “The bi-annual law enforcement career fairs that we conduct in the Fall and Spring class sessions have proven to be an effective recruiting and career placement tool for the agencies and cadets. We also open these events to the general public as well because there are hundreds of civilian jobs in law enforcement that go unfilled every year.”

In closing, we want to say thank you to Officer R. Hunt for sharing her thoughts as well as to all the police and sheriff’s officers who attended the event in representation of their agencies and communities. You’ve helped equip our cadets with the tools they need to succeed upon graduation, and for that we are most gracious. We look forward to the next Law Enforcement Recruitment event at the Allstate Center.

Until next time ~ Have a great week, and good luck with your studies!

 

 

 

 

 

We want to share with you that serving students is job one for faculty at the Allstate Center. Therefore, if you are reading this blog, and you are a student, please know that you are their priority. Given so, they understand how important library services are to their students. Thus, faculty members are staffing the Allstate Center Library, which is in room 202, every Monday through Thursday from 10 A.M. to noon. They invite you to stop by! They are there to serve students in whatever capacity they can. The following services are offered, but not limited to:

• academic advice such as writing help and suggestions on how to conduct better research
• help navigating the many resources offered to students at the Allstate Center such as free tutoring
• referral to the many student services now located at the Allstate Center like Disability Resources and the Test Center

Also, our faculty want to remind you that you can use the library computers to compose and print assignments or simply to check emails.

Additionally, faculty want to share with you that there is an Allstate Library Club. You are invited to join. The AC Library Club provides an opportunity for your voice to be heard. For example, you can help plan library events and mentor fellow students. To find out more about this club, you can call Emily Young at 727-341-4486.

Regarding opportunities for you to get involved on campus, have you heard of the One Book, One College event? This is an annual program that invites students, faculty and staff, across all campuses, to connect with one book and with each other to stimulate discussion, critical thinking and recreational reading. You can click here for more details: One Book, One College. You can click here to access the list of nominees. And to help with selecting a title for this event, you can click here to vote now.

Lastly, if you haven’t met her yet, Emily Young, our amazingly energetic librarian, who we mentioned above, staffs the library Monday through Thursday from noon to 7 P.M. Emily as well as the faculty at the College of Public Safety hope to see you there!

Until next time! Have a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

Contributor: Dr. Shirley Johnson, Faculty member, St. Petersburg College – College of Public Safety

You’ve probably heard that dozens of times from various teachers and professors. But what does it mean? What’s the difference between MLA style and APA style? How do you know if you’re doing it right?

Don’t panic: we’ve all been there. Last night, I just finished writing the longest essay of my life for a grad school class. (Trust me, I’m not exaggerating.) And now, it’s time for me to cite my sources. What does that mean? When I cite my sources, I’m telling readers where I got the information I used in my essay. You always cite your sources if you’re using someone else’s quotes, or even their ideas. But sometimes, that process can be a little confusing. That’s why I’m going to share some of my favorite citation websites with you. They’re life-savers when it comes to academic papers.

1. Need help understanding MLA or APA? These websites tell you everything:

Here’s my favorite citation website: Purdue University’s OWL. They have specific pages devoted to both MLA format and APA format. (If you’re not sure what your professor wants, check the syllabus or ask them.) OWL tells you everything you need to know: how wide your margins should be, how to do an in-text citation, and how to format your Works Cited or Reference List. They even have PowerPoint presentations and sample papers you can look at. Check them out below:

• OWL MLA
• OWL APA

Here’s another option: The SPC Library has their own version of OWL. The SPC Library Citation Assistance gives you sample papers, power-points on APA and MLA, and helpful videos. Check out the following link if you’re looking for a little extra information:

• SPC’S Library Citation Assistance

2. Need help writing your works cited or reference list? This website does the hard work for you:

Now, here’s a shortcut. At the end of your essay, you’re going to need to write a Works Cited or Reference List—something that lists every book, article, video, or interview you used for your paper. The website Knight Cite will help you make each citation: you just fill in the information, and it does the hard work for you.

• Knight Cite

3. Are you feeling confused? Ask a Librarian for help:

If you’re feeling confused, just ask a librarian! You can call the Allstate Library at 727-341-4486, email us at Young.Emily@spcollege.edu, or drop by for a visit. Our hours are Monday-Thursday, 12-7pm. I’ll be happy to help answer your question(s).

And if I’m not around, you can always contact a librarian through the online resource Ask a Librarian, which lets you text, email, or chat with a Florida librarian. They’re available most evenings until midnight, which is great when you’re pulling one of those all-night writing sessions. Just send them a chat message if you feel stuck.

• Ask a Librarian

4. Remember this website for all your writing and researching needs:

Finally, one of the best websites I’ve ever used is the SPC Research Workshop. It gives you all the helpful links I’ve just shown you, plus much, much more.

• SPC Research Workshop

Good luck writing that essay, and remember, your librarians are always here for you!

Contributor: Emily Young, Library Services Paraprofessional, St. Petersburg College – Allstate Center Library

How is your fall semester going? Whether you are a faculty member, a staff member or a student, we hope it is going along smoothly! I imagine that you are working hard to meet your academic and work goals this fall.

With that in mind, we thought we’d highlight what has been happening around campus over the past several months – changes that we hope will positively impact your studies and work. Actually, a lot of changes have occurred at the Allstate Center since Dr. Fronrath was named Provost!

What changes are we talking about? Well, for our faithful readers, this won’t be news, but for those of you reading the blog for the first time, we want to share with you that we now offer the following services:

• Test Center services including the College Placement Tests the PERT and LOEP
• Disability Resources

In addition, the AC Library has been updated and our Student Services office has as well. Students now have resources on campus that are more easily accessible and that help equip them with what they need in order to pursue their academic dreams at the SPC Allstate Center. What is exciting is that our faculty and staff, who are vital to SPC students, were not forgotten. The Allstate Center has been updated to include a new employee lounge as well.

In regard to the employee lounge, I spoke with Dr. Shirley Johnson, a faculty member at the Allstate Center, and she shared with me that the employee lounge provides “a quiet place to meet and eat lunch and is furnished with several tables, sofa, television and a vending machine. The employee lounge is located just south of the facilities shop and adjacent to the Police Applicant Screening Service office.” She noted, “Many of you will recall this room as the old copy machine room. This area is a great addition to all the other upgrades that have been made at Allstate since Dr. Fronrath has been named Provost. It is a great place to take a break from your office and decompress.”

Thank you Dr. Johnson for sharing your thoughts with us. For those of you who work at the Allstate Center, we hope you stop by the employee lounge and check it out and take advantage of the space. Also, thank Dr. Fronrath for all you’ve done for us at the Allstate Center. We are proud of our campus and know that our students have at their disposal all they need to succeed.

Until next time! Best of luck with your studies and work goals!

It’s that time of year! The Fall 2015 semester at SPC has begun. Students at the Allstate Center have been busy getting familiar with their new: class schedules, room assignments, coursework requirements and instructors, not to mention the thought of upcoming homework assignments, class projects and tests.

As students embarked on their first week of classes, at the Allstate Center, they were greeted by SPC staff, faculty and program coordinators at the AC Welcome Back events which were held Tuesday, August 18th, and Thursday, August 20th. The Welcome Back events were held in the Allstate Center Library. Students enjoyed pizza and refreshments and were offered give a ways such as SPC t-shirts and pens to name a few. Several vendors and businesses participated in the events as well.  They are noted below:

• Sam’s Club
• Florida Central Credit Union
• Regions Bank
• BayCare Health System
• SPC’s Institute for Strategic Policy Solutions
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Supervisor of Elections
• Star & Shield Group
• SPC’s Student Services: Disability Resources

We want to thank all the vendors and businesses who attended! Your presence added to the success of the events, and you gave our students important tools and resources as they move forward with achieving their academic goals.

In regard to the Welcome Back events, I had the privilege of visiting with student Chris Ruggerio who is a student in the Crime Scene Technology program at SPC. When I asked him about what his goals are for the Fall semester he shared, “Hoping my first semester at SPC is a good one!” I assured him that we are here for him if he needs anything!

In regard to the Fall semester, the Student Services team, at the Allstate Center wants to make sure that all students know that we are available to assist them with any questions or concerns that they may have as they move forward with fulfilling their course requirements. Feel free to stop by the Student Services office which is located in room 114. Office hours currently are Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to noon.

Also, just in case it might be helpful, there are several iTunes apps that students can use to help them with their studies this fall that we discovered while reading Marie Rossiter’s article 5 apps for smarter studying article. Three of the apps are noted below:

• Math Formulas Reference Guide
• StudyBlue
• The Chemical Touch

As you can see, we are dedicated to helping you achieve academic success! We are here for you and hope to see you around campus this semester!

Here’s to a successful Fall semester!

St. Petersburg College — College of Public Safety Student Services Team

Saturday, August 8^th, 2015 was a remarkable day many will remember! What made this summer day extraordinary? SPC’s College of Public Safety hosted their first ever Touch-a-Truck community event! The fun, and family oriented, activity was offered at the Allstate Center and began at 10:00AM and ended around 2:00PM. Smiles graced the faces of all who attended.

Touch-a-Truck activities included:

• The opportunity to literally touch a truck!
• Games including a rock climbing wall
• Giveaways i.e., SPC t-shirts, key chains and much more
• Drawing for a $25 voucher towards SPC’s Learn to Earn program
• St. Petersburg Free Clinic services and resources

Additionally, refreshments, sandwiches, popcorn and Krazy Ice Cream were enjoyed by many of the visitors.  And those who attended the event had the opportunity to explore, up close and personal, career paths that impact our community such as fire and rescue, law enforcement, utilities, towing, construction, animal services and medical.

What made the event especially unique was that visitors had the opportunity to literally touch a truck. They could simply view the variety of trucks that were present, if they wanted to, and/or they could actually sit inside the vehicles. How cool is that? As a matter of fact, little Jaden King, age 2, had the opportunity to sit inside the Tibbetts Lumber Company truck with her mother Kim King by her side. What’s exciting about this is that Jaden got to experience being around many different vehicles that may spark an interest in her career choice when she grows up. Other trucks and vehicles that were present, that we see on a daily basis around our community, included: U.S. Army trucks, a Pinellas County Sheriff’s S.W.A.T team truck, a St. Petersburg Fire & Rescue fire truck, a St. Petersburg Police K-9 Unit cruiser, Bayflite helicopter and many, many more!

Dwayne Williams, Allstate Center Student Services Enrollment Advisor, noted: “The Touch-a-Truck event was a huge community relations success and will become an annual staple of our many community outreach programs.”

We’d like to thank everyone who participated, and we’d like to thank Dee Mortellaro, SPC Career Outreach Specialist and Dwayne Williams, Allstate Center Student Services Enrollment Advisor, for the outstanding job they did coordinating this event. We look forward to next year’s Touch-a-Truck event!

For questions regarding how you can get started on a career path that will positively impact your community you can call Dee Mortellaro at (727) 614-7019.

It’s an exciting time to be an SPC College of Public Safety student! Student Services has yet again experienced new growth with the addition of Disability Resources. Our announcement wouldn’t be complete without a warm welcome to Lisa Gould, M. Ed., who is the Disability Resources Manager at the Allstate Center.

Lisa kindly shared a little about her background with us and also shared what Disability Resources has to offer SPC students. She noted: “Before coming to SPC, I worked as a Learning Disability Specialist in the Office of Services for Students with Disabilities at Hillsborough Community College. I was also a former school guidance counselor and an elementary school teacher.”

So what exactly is the mission of Disability Resources? Lisa shared that the mission is:

• Compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Section 504
•  Advance equal access for all students in programs and activities of the college by:
  • Raising awareness among faculty, staff and administration
  • Providing direct services to students and promoting student self-advocacy and responsibility especially for a student receiving classroom and testing accommodations
  • Aiding students in accessing SPC Resources
  • Workshops (e.g., Testing Strategies, Study Skills)

Lastly, Lisa shared: “As a Disability Resources Manager for SPC, I have a passion for students to have successes and have access to all resources available to them. When a student reaches out to me I will strive for equal access for learning, explore SPC’s resources and promote successes. Confidentiality is of upmost importance, too. I would be happy to meet with any student to discuss your learning options. Please contact me to schedule a consultation.”

Lisa’s Allstate Center office is located in the Student Services suite, room 114B. To set up an appointment to meet with her, please call 727-398-8284 and/or you may email her at Gould.Lisa@spcollege.edu.