Residential Living employees cited for over 100 violations

Residential Living personnel have been cited for over 100 incidents of inadequate performance and violations of policy while on duty at residential desks and guard stations since September, according to documents obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian from a source in High Rise North. The violations include leaving posts unattended, sleeping and watching television while on duty and not following proper procedures involving identification and security. But Director of Residential Living Gigi Simeone said her department responds quickly to reports of employee misconduct. The most common situation involved desk receptionists reporting late for duty -- or not showing up at all. During the daytime, students and full-time Residential Living employees are in charge of both guard stations and front desks. But according to the documents, front desks and guard stations have been left unstaffed by Residential Living employees for time periods ranging from five minutes to four hours. Incidents of lateness and no-shows have occurred most often when the Residential Living employee was scheduled to relieve the overnight security guard at 8 a.m. When this happens, the security guard often stays until someone comes to relieve him. Sometimes, Allied guards have stayed for over an hour after their shift ended, collecting overtime pay, because the Residential Living employees failed to arrive. Another problem occurs when Residential Living employees, working the morning shift, leave early without waiting for relief. In some of the documented incidents, a residential advisor or Residential Living supervisor has taken over instead for the desk worker who was supposed to be staffing the post. Locating personnel to staff the posts has at times taken over an hour. In many instances, the reasons for the delay involved failed attempts to notify officials about the employee absence. And often Residential Living officials have not been available to help find replacements for the employees. "A system of coordinators can be beeped at different times," Simeone said. "They are responsible for finding replacements but that varies by time of day and by day." But the documents indicate that on several occasions residential advisors, graduate fellows and coordinators failed to respond to their beepers. At these times, employees cannot be found to cover the residence desks for long periods of time. There are other instances, however, when no one is told that a Residential Living worker has failed to show up at his post. The longest documented timespan of this occurring took place in September in High Rise North. During a four hour time period -- from 8 a.m. until noon -- no receptionist arrived to staff the front desk of the building. In addition, the Allied guard who had taken the midnight to 8 a.m. shift left his post at 8 a.m., without waiting for a replacement. Until the next Allied guard arrived shortly after 8 a.m., the building was left completely unattended. In other instances, employees have even abandoned their posts mid-shift without finding replacements. Every residence, except for the Castle, has been affected by these situations -- 86 of which have been documented since September. Simeone said that 400 students and 19 full-time employees work at the guard stations and desks in residence halls throughout campus. "With a staff that large, there are always problems that occur," she said. "Public Safety and Residential Living have been working closely to improve all the levels of desk and security coverage." Simeone said that 50 Residential Living employees have been discharged this year alone because of poor job performance. Responses to incidents of policy infraction and improper behavior vary depending on the quantity and type of incident, she added. These problems go beyond lateness and communication, however. Residential Living employees have also been found asleep at their posts, watching television and making personal phone calls with official desk phones during their shifts. And they have been caught allowing people into buildings without proper identification and allowing keys to be signed out without checking IDs. In addition, some employees have violated other Residential Living policies, such as propping residence doors open. Simeone has said that she takes quick action when employees break Residential Living policies, according to an interoffice memorandum obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian. She has also said that she feels that the problem with residential security lies with Allied Security, and not with her employees. "We are paying Allied for their services, and have a right to expect a certain level of performance, no matter what," she said in the memorandum addressed to Security Services Director Christopher Algard, and carbon copied to Residential Living Safety and Security Director Joe Kirk and University Police Commissioner John Kuprevich.