Six experts from a variety of local and statewide roles will participate at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 15, in an audience-driven roundtable discussion about community and policing. The discussion will be held in Vivian Auditorium, located in Whitewater Hall.The topic has been a heated one at times recently across the nation.

But, organizer Latishea Varnesdeel wants the event to take a deeper and more far-ranging look at interactions between policing authorities and their communities.

“The conversation will be guided by the audience,” says Varnesdeel, who is special assistant to the chancellor and chief diversity officer at IU East.  “It’s always wonderful to have something interactive to show we care about what goes on in the community.”

The event is open to the public and is co-sponsored by the IU East Diversity Events Committee. Topics of discussion could include general relationships, reactions to policing situations and specific issues such as school shootings and allegations of brutality.

“It’s nice we can learn from each other,” says Varnesdeel. “We can celebrate our differences. We want to make sure we have a positive relationship with the police department(s). If there are areas of concern, we want to know that.”

Panelists will include IU East University Police Chief Burt Cole and Mengie Parker, chair of the Criminal Justice and Political Science Department.

Other panelists will be:

• Capt. William Shake of the Richmond Police Department.
• Larry Owens, a past president of the local chapter of the NAACP.
• Det. Charles Meneely, Capitol Police Officer with the Indiana State Police.
• Major Charles Sorrells, Assistant Chief of Staff for Human Resources & Administration, Indiana State Police.

The free event is part of a growing effort at IU East to engage with the community in positive ways. Recently, the university hosted a poverty simulation and roundtable discussion.

More similar events are coming. “We used to hold three large events. It just wasn’t enough,” Varnesdeel says. “We definitely want to be a leader with community engagement. We want to bring more people onto campus to find out about us and see that we are a partner.”