Campus Safety hires students to meet staffing shortage

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Author: Elwyn Pratt

Students may now encounter their peers checking ID cards in the Almuni Gym Fitness Center during weekends. Campus Safety hired students to check IDs as a solution to recent officer understaffing issues and to give students an opportunity to gain employment late in the semester, according to Campus Safety Director Holly Nieto.

Two on-call officers were recently placed on disability leave and two part-time officers gained employment elsewhere, so 12 Occidental students were hired to meet the staffing shortage. Officers still regularly check in with student workers and are on call in case of confrontations.

The student positions started in March and are scheduled to end on May 5. The positions have the potential to be extended into next semester, however, depending on student and faculty evaluations. According to Nieto, feedback from this year’s trial has been positive.

“Student workers in previous trials were unreliable and not respected by users. That is not the case now,” Nieto said.

For some students, the job is a simple way to earn money during the school year. Marcos Demetrio (first-year) took up the position because it was convenient and part-time.

“I couldn’t do the other job I had anymore because it was taking too much of my time, so I went to Human Resources, and they said that they were trying to do this trial with this card swiping position,” Demetrio said. “It’s just swiping cards … We’re told that if there’s any trouble we should call one of the officers, but that never happens.”

Demetrio and the 11 other student employees cycle through four-hour shifts with three workers on each shift. One student swipes ID cards, one student patrols and one student is reserved for back-up. Patrols involve duties such as ensuring that the property is safe and doors are closed.

Campus Safety has always employed students to some capacity. Aside from the escort program, students participate in foot patrols and have occasionally been assigned to be the eyes and ears for stake-out work, according to Nieto.

The new student involvement has been well received by Campus Safety officers.

“It’s nice to have students at the desk, interacting with other students,” Campus Safety Officer Barry Hardin said. “The students seem to enjoy it, they can make a little money … It’s a great program.”

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