A coalition of students is set to hold a rally demanding better university support of Department of Public Safety staffers today at 1 p.m. in Red Square.

The rally was organized by a group of students not affiliated with any one group on campus. After the rally, students will march to Healy Hall and deliver a signed petition asking the university to agree to higher wages and a “fair department structure,” according to Sam Geaney-Moore (SFS ’12), a Georgetown Solidarity Committee member and an organizer of the rally.

The students involved in organizing the rally hope to raise awareness of the benefits and treatment given to DPS officers. Various campus groups, including GU Pride, the Georgetown University College Democrats, The Corp, Georgetown’s chapter of the NAACP, United Feminists, Georgetown University Legislative Advocates and Nomadic Theatre are supporting the petition.

“This [rally] will show that there is broad-based support on this issue on campus. We will have a demonstration where different groups can show support and bring attention to these matters,” Geaney-Moore said.

The rally comes a week after the GSC sent an open letter to University President John J. DeGioia entreating the university to better support DPS officers as a campus safety measure on Nov. 6.

Written in the wake of a string of alleged bias-related incidents on and near campus, the letter argued that neglectful treatment of DPS officers has affected students’ safety.

“Especially given the recent crimes, it is evident that campus security forces do not have all the resources and support they need to keep this campus safe,” the letter said.

The letter described DPS as “chronically understaffed” and said that since DPS retention is low, staff cannot get to know the campus and students as well, resulting in a lack of trust between DPS and the campus community.

DPS is currently represented by Allied International Union; officers voted to remain with the union in May. Negotiations over the contract between the union representing DPS staff members and the university over the union’s contract have been ongoing since August, and DPS is demanding a $4 increase in pay over the next three years.

Last week, Carter Lavin (SFS ’10) formed the Georgetown Student Safety Patrol, which currently has eight active members. According to Lavin, GSSP members patrolled the West Georgetown neighborhood for an hour and a half last Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

GSSP formed after Lavin organized a rally in Red Square two weeks ago after the second of two alleged anti-gay bias assaults on students. Following the rally, students formed a university student safety working group to increase security on and around campus. The group is an unofficial and currently nameless group of students, Geaney-Moore said.

“The goal of the GSSP is to increase security in West Georgetown and Burleith through increasing patrols,” Lavin said. “Ideally, well-paid DPS officers would be fulfilling this role, but if the university will not take student security seriously and give DPS the resources they need to do this job, concerned students will take it upon themselves to do so.” “