As students consumed with our daily tasks, we fall into the habit of not appreciating the different offices on campus. All of these offices however, work to ensure that we have a pleasurable experience here and seek to assist us in any way that they can.
Instead of saying thank you, or taking advantage of their services, we sometimes unintentionally (or intentionally) disregard them as if they hold no true value to the APU community.
One office in particular deserves recognition. That’s right, folks. I’m talking about the office inside of Adams Hall, Campus Safety.
We may stop into this office every now and then with a complaint, but we aren’t necessarily appreciating the hard work and dedication of this staff. Maybe we have gotten so fixated on some of the student-life issues, like parking or visitor restrictions, that we haven’t learned about the more positive things that Campus Safety does for our institution.
From the interim chief to all of the personnel and student officers involved, Campus Safety has worked to create an environment that stands true to their mission of providing “a safe work and academic environment for the APU community.”
Whether you want to admit it or not, their office has done something to benefit you. Think back to that time you needed a ride to get to your destination late at night. What about the time you had parking questions for a visitor coming to visit you? Did they not answer the phone by the second ring?
The Interim Chief of Campus Safety, Tim Finneran, believes that his team has done a great job in further developing their department. Recently, they have built their team for the purpose of having more personnel performing tasks and services for students.
Some of their services include, but are not limited to, patrolling the campuses 24/7, giving shuttle rides to and from various destinations and assisting students in any parking-related questions.
According to Finneran, Campus Safety has provided 2,215 escorts for students since the beginning of the 2016-2017 school year. Deputy Chief, CJ Carlos, says that 35 percent of those escorts were when the trolleys weren’t running. In those circumstances, officers are responsible for picking students up one at a time in their Campus Safety vehicles. They call this order of operation their safety escorts, which are available to students, faculty, staff and visitors.
Are you still thinking about that parking issue? Well, rest to assure that Campus Safety is working on it to rectify the issue.
Though Finneran recognizes that Campus Safety isn’t the cause of the parking issue, their office is charged with accepting requests from areas around the university and planning the logistics of parking.
“I’m trying to do a very good job in avoiding closing down student parking lots for the multiple special events requests we receive, but make it fair and equitable for faculty, staff and students for parking,” Finneran said.
In a most recent event on campus, Campus Safety decided to close down a faculty parking lot to not inconvenience students in finding somewhere to park. They have even submitted proposals for how their office handles parking. With their new parking committee in place, they are working with stakeholders from all over the university to come up with a better plan for how to properly handle parking issues. How’s that for an office who cares?
Campus Safety has also helped students with more personal issues, like jumping their cars and providing immediate response to anyone suffering a medical emergency. Carlos says that jumping cars happens quite frequently because of how long cars sit out in the sun. He also says that in the event of a medical crisis, their officers are trained in first aid and CPR to facilitate a faster response than the ambulance and police.
“We are able to direct the emergency services to exactly where they need to go to open up closed-off areas so they can get in their quicker,” Carlos said.
The office is a part of a committee on campus called the Care Team. The Care Team is a group of staff and faculty that seek to identify students who are having trouble coping with the different pressures of life, like work schedules and family issues to name a few. More specifically, they try to reach out to students before they seek help.
In terms of the students who work for them, they are equipping them with the skill sets to work out in the field. Corporal Pedro Perez Robles says that they have taught students how to have confidence and stand out from the rest of their competition.
In turn, student workers have helped the office stay up-to-date on social media. Their relationship with student workers have assisted them in proactively helping the greater community of APU.
All of the students concerns haven’t gone unheard. In fact, Campus Safety is having a coffee and pastry session for students on Thursday, March 30, 2017 to provide students an opportunity to exchange ideas with the staff. This event will take place in LAPC with the Campus Safety Command Team and Chief from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.