The Department of Public Safety has started a well-intentioned “pilot” security program in Copley Hall this month, requiring student guards to verify students’ GoCard photographs and then swipe each card before allowing them access to the building. The new procedure addresses some of the biggest weaknesses of the student guard program, and should be expanded to all residence halls.
In theory, student guards play an important role in protecting the campus community. In practice, however, they too frequently shirk this responsibility. Student guards, paid a starting wage of $8.25 per hour, have a reputation for leniency, with many allowing nearly anyone with a GoCard—theirs or not—access to campus buildings. This new policy forces guards to fulfill their paid duties and more closely monitor the people passing by their desks.
Guards received new instructions regarding the access procedures at Copley in a February 2 e-mail from Luke Hillman, the Assistant Coordinator of the Student Guard Program. Hillman admitted that “this message may not come as welcome news,” foreshadowing grumblings from guards and students alike who feel that the new procedure is a waste of time. But this change is a positive step and constitutes an extremely small inconvenience that would go a long way toward improving general safety on campus.
Since Georgetown pays students to guard the entrances to residence halls on campus, the University is obligated to enact adequate guidelines that ensure students take the position seriously. DPS should be commended for proactively taking steps to strengthen the student guard program, but increasing the security of just one building isn’t enough. If DPS wants student guards to start playing a real role in keeping the campus safe, the pilot program should be expanded to the rest of campus as soon as possible.
It would be interesting to see stats on how much crime a system like this actually prevents. I don’t live in Copley, but somehow I’m doubting that this new policy will deter anyone who would actually cause trouble. I say if there’s actually a measurable improvement, fine; otherwise, get rid of the new rule. This has all the usual trappings of Georgetown trying to increase the appearance of security, without actually doing anything to improve security itself.
“Student guards… have a reputation for leniency, with many allowing nearly anyone with a GoCard—theirs or not—access to campus buildings.”
If requiring guards to examine and swipe GoCards is a brand new policy being tested, how could student guards already have a reputation for letting in kids with gocards that aren’t theirs?
A reputation for leniency is one thing, but student guard or no student guard, if previously card photos haven’t been checked then you simply cannot say that student guards let in students with go cards that are “theirs or not.”
I think it is interesting outdated the information in this article is. Student guarding this year has become much stricter in policy enforcement. in fact, any guards who simply allow students in without swiping their gocard or abandon their posts are now fired, no warnings. The current program in copley is tedious and unnecessary. it creates a line to get into the building and signing in visitors can create a mass backup. furthermore, the issue of security could be taken care of entirely if students took proper precaution with their gocards. students should be lending out their gocards to friends. students need to be responsible for their own safety to a certain extent.
also the fact that the university refuses to lower gocard replacement fee of $25 is ridiculous. no one cancels their gocard immediately when they lose it in hopes that theyll find it and not have to pay the fee. If it were cheaper, students would be more likely to cancel their gocards minimizing the risk of someone else using their card. But no, rather than lose any money the university would rather harass student guards, most of which are responsible and do their jobs quite well.