Residential Living dept. gives itself a makeover

Dorms focus on safety and security concerns Smiling security guards, more convenient guest passes and a new residential news bulletin are ushering in this school year. And University students have a team of students and faculty to thank for their new and improved residential life. Residential Living Director Gigi Simeone said the team met throughout the summer to troubleshoot and brainstorm on issues of residential safety and security. "The group was amazing," Simeone said last week. "They met two times a week [throughout the summer] ... and devoted some really significant effort [to these issues]." Simeone said the team began at the start of the summer by sponsoring both graduate and undergraduate student focus groups that allowed students to voice and prioritize safety and security concerns. Gordon Rickards, assistant director of residential living for safety, security and facilities, said the groups found that "there were several things that it was immediately clear that we could do." The team's official report includes six recommendations on ways to improve residential safety and security. According to ResNews, the new residential living bulletin, the recommendations are: ·expanding the residential living department's monitoring, training and supervising of the security guards provided by McGinn Security Services. ·expanding the department's own training of security and desk staff. ·developing a "mystery customer" review system for security personnel, and increasing spot checks and supervision. ·producing a residential living bulletin. ·increasing student feedback mechanisms. ·establishing a center for guest pass distribution in Kings Court/English House. Last year, there were only two distribution points – in the Quadrangle and in High Rise North. Simeone said "Quality of Life Surveys" distributed this past spring revealed that 75 percent of students were satisfied with the security services during the daytime, 67 percent were satisfied with evening services, and only 52 percent were satisfied with services during the graveyard shift. In response to this, Simeone said security guards have been retrained by McGinn using new techniques that reflect the concerns that were presented in the focus groups. She said that while personnel spot checks will increase across the board, they will increase fourfold for the graveyard shift. The "mystery customer" tests, Residential Advisory Board Chairperson Suma CM said, will "present a scenario [to desk staff] as it would be on a normal day." CM said that designated "mystery customers" will go to desk and security personnel with problems in order to insure that proper procedures for dealing with problems are followed. In addition, Rickards said that a new security manual is being printed that will act as a "quick reference for desk receptionists on what to do in cases of emergency." And, Rickards said, one of the larger issues raised in the focus groups – a lack of friendliness by some security guards – has been addressed. Guards have been asked to wear nametags and to talk to students as they pass by the turnstiles. More student contact, combined with the increase in training, should help reassure students that the security guards are competent, Rickards said. "It seemed that the biggest thing the students wanted to know was that the guards knew what they were doing," Rickards said. Residential Living is still seeking feedback through its 573-9999 voice mail suggestion box and e-mail address, College sophomore CM said. Rickards said the team that pinpointed the six directives will reconvene at the end of the semester to evaluate the effectiveness of the new programs.

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