YSU interviews interim chief as final candidate for chief post

YOUNGSTOWN

Home is what Shawn Varso, Youngstown State University’s interim police chief, third and final candidate for the chief job, calls the school he has been protecting for 27 years.

What sets Varso apart from other candidates – Jeffrey Scott, chief of police at Notre Dame College in South Euclid; and Stephen VanWinkle, captain of police at Miami University of Ohio in Oxford – is his “vested interest” in what happens to this place he calls home.

“I’ve spent more time here at YSU than at any physical home I’ve ever been in,” he said. “I feel pride for this place and I want to continue to protect it. I think of the people in this place as my family. ... This is our home [that] we share in the up times and we share in the down times.”

The family Varso referenced includes the students, no matter what challenges they run into.

“Part of our job is to look out for the best interest of our students,” he said. “We want our students not to be afraid to come to us for help. ... And we want to be able to get them the help they need.”

Varso wants to improve communication with the campus community.

Read more about him in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.