F E ATU RE S
Exploring the relationship between Pnblic Safety and stndents
WWW.GUlLFORDlAN.COM
By Charlotte Cloyd
Staff Writer
The line that people draw between safety and freedom is
blurry, especially for students on a college campus. Living
away from home for the first time and experiencing new
freedom makes judging what is and isn t safe difficult in
some situations and circumstances. Knowing who to con
tact when faced with danger may not register instantly, at
which point it becomes necessary to have an organized unit
on campus who can both enforce and protect.
Enter Guilford College's Department of Public Safety.
These men and women are here to ensure the safety of
everyone on campus.
But with 13 Public Safety officers on staff — only two
or three of whom are on duty at a any given time it
becomes difficult to patrol the more than 300 acres of cam
pus. Often, the safety of the students rests with individual
students acting responsibly and notifying Public Safety
when a student needs assistance. Dean of Students Aaron
Fetrow is most concerned about the open boundary of
campus. ,
"What really scares me are individuals we don t know
who are on campus, folks who are not part of our com
munity," Fetrow said. "If you're out there, be together and
report things."
Ensuring that a cooperative relationship exists between
the students and Public Safety poses something of a prob
lem. Not only does it need to be clear that students should
contact Public Safety when they need to, but students must
also understand that Public Safety officers have a duty to
enforce school policies.
"I think that the majority of Public Safety's work is based
on protection, and any incriminating feelings that students
are having are the direct result of administrative policies,"
said sophomore Markus MacNamara.
Many students may agree with MacNamara on this
point, and yet Public Safety is still often cast in a negative
light because part of their duty includes documenting stu
dents for violating college policies.
"Public Safety does a good job of being present on cam
pus, but at the same time they can come off as judgmental
and thus carry stereotypes with them, as we all tend to
do," said junior Neisha Washington, resident advisor in
the North Apartments. "Public Safety should reach out to
the students more. They should seek to have a stronger
relationship with residents."
Forging a strong relationship requires a communication
between students and Public Safety officers, which does
not currently exist. Director of Public Safety Ron Stowe
emphasized the importance of communication in creat
ing a relationship between the Public Safety officers and
students.
"Safety on campus is a community issue, and we re ail
responsible for that," said Stowe.
Part of keeping Guilford's campus safe involves the
student body participating actively by making sure that
they practice safe behavior. There is no Big Brother entity
keeping a watch on the community, and the responsibility
of keeping the campus safe lies on the shoulders of a rela
tionship between Public Safety and the faculty, the staff,
and the students of Guilford.
The intimidation factor by Public Safety officers is not
surprising, and for new students the seemingly ever
present red golf carts might induce fear. Sophomore and
Binford RA Paris El-Ali discussed his perspective of Public
Safety officers on campus.
"I feel like people need to recognize that they're here to
help you, not to prosecute you," El-Ali said.
Students must be willing to cooperate with Public Safety
officers in order to keep campus safe. As a recent graduate
and current employee at Guilford, Binford Hall Director
Justin Shreve '10 has worked closely behind the scenes
with students and campus safety.
"When I was a student here, I always felt protected, and
now moving into the Hall Director role I see the regula
tions and I see that people do really care about safety,
Shreve said. "We need a cooperative relationship between
students and staff."
Shrev0 is not alone in believing that, in order for the
system in place to be effective, interaction between the two
entities must be present, but communication will not solve
all of the safety issues at Guilford. Students need to be
aware of themselves, their friends, and their actions.
"My perspective on this is simple, and that is I would
love to guarantee that I could protect everyone," Fetrow
said. "The best thing we can do is be cautious."
Signing up for a hoppin’ good time
By Ryan Gordy
Staff Writer
"This event gets the word out about your
club or organization and what you do," said
German Club President Kim Kleimeier. "You
"Sien up for German club!" "Hey, want to get to talk face-to-face with other students
sign up for fencing?" and they get to ask questions. I m glad we
On Aug. 31, Founders Lawn echoed with get to do this because it s more personal this
the sounds of the annual Student Involvement way."
and Employment Fair. Guilford College's For some students, the event also means
clubs and organizations came together to taking the next step andjoimng a club
attract students to extra-curricular activities. "This event is great because we get a o
Guilford Film Society, the Greenleaf of new recruits, who we hope will come ^d
Review and Greensboro Roller Derby were try out," said Biohazard Ulhmate Fnsbee
among the various organizations that had Captain Ben Ardel. "The event was sue-
3s on Founders Lawn. Community cessful and fun. We're a great bunch o
Senate even had a face painting station, people who are community-oriented and get
where you could turn your face into a piece involved as a team.
wnereyuuf. , r . j^e event featured over 35 clubs and orga-
° "We try to get as many students as we can nizations and had a couple hundred people
out here to sle what Guilford has to offer," turn out to see what achvihes were being
said Steve Moran,
assistant director of
and engagement.
"We want stu
dents, especially
first-years, to see
how awesome and
diverse opportuni
ties are on campus."
In true Guilford
fashion, the event
students
student leadership jnSpirSS
anH pneravement. i i ^ii I I I ll
individually and as a whole.
Erin Fox, director of student leadership and
engagement
offered.
Most of the sta
tions had long
lists of students
that signed up
and showed inter
est in the activi
ties offered. Even
President and
Professor of
Political Science
Kent Chabotar
had a casual vibe that only Quakers could came to take a gander at what the students
provide. Students would go to stations of had to offer. • i.- „
their choosing, ask a few questions, and sign "By signing up to a club or organiza lo ,
up for the mailing list or just move on to the you are being connected to the campus com
nL station afte? their conversaHon. More munity," said Fox. "It
importantly, this eyent stresses the need for individually and as a whole. Being a part o
students to get involved with Guilford and an organization gives students a more holis-
the community. tic experience at Guilford.
"I'm very happy to see a lot of first-year Overall, it was a hoppin good bme, and
students aL the "event," said Erin Fox, direc
tor of student leadership and engagement.
"It's important to find places to connect with
Guilford and the campus community."
many students will be joining new clubs and
activities.
"This fair is a testament to our wonderful
students here at Guilford and how involved
For the clubs and organizations, this event they are outside of class, said Moran,
presents opportunities for first-years and all awesome to see students find new oppor-
students. tunities."