Campus Safety and the Community Aide

Presented by Tyna Adams

“An initiative at the request of the VicePresident for Student Affairs Office - Ensuring proactive measures are beingtaken to increase safety for all residents”

Increasing Safety and Security Practices in MSU Residence Halls

Safety Trends

With incidents at Virginia Tech andmore recently Central Arkansas, moreprograms such as the Community Aide willbegin to appear across the nation. Theymay not look the same, but the purpose ofthese programs will have a similar focus.

“Who is in our house?”

We have a policy we currently do not enforce…how do we answer to a parent if something were to happen?

We have a responsibility to our residents to enforce policies to the best of our abilities…

and be proactive rather than reactive about it. Why don’t we have guests check in/out in

order to know who is and is not in our building after 2 AM – then – why don’t RA’s follow up with those who do not leave before 2 AM

Questions we had to answer…

• What are the Residence Hall Quiet Hours?• How do we know if our guests are out at 2 AM?• What safety precautions exist for staff on

opposite gender hallways? • How do residents identify staff and guests from

residents?• Do staff wear badges?• What signs / postings exist that remind students

of our rules?

Resolutions

Visitation Check in/out Policy implemented- 10am-2am All Guests entering the halls must check in and receive a numbered guest pass

Signs will be posted in the halls that clearly state visitation and quiet hours

Hall staff will check to see who is still checked in after 2 am and address

Hall staff will all wear name badges and wear Staff t-shirts when on duty

Guest Check In Form

Community Aide Program Purpose

Educate residents about the visitation policy Assist in the enforcement of the visitation

policy Assist in the enforcement of quiet hours Extra eyes and ears in the halls Assist with fire alarms Assist with any other incidents or tasks as

needed

Structure

CAs work from 9 PM to 3 AM daily, schedule and number of CAs may change during football or basketball games and other campus events.

4 CAs and 1 CA Supervisor (CAS). CAS will pair CAs, if possible M/F so that it will be

easier to conduct rounds in the residence halls. Each pair of CAs will have one radio and the CAS

will also have a radio to communicate with CAs and Housing Professional Staff.

RAs have the option to work 1 CA shift in place of the 6 required weekly desk hours.

Training

Spring 2008-RAs as CAs and Supervisors-(CA shifts took the place of desk hours)

First shifts were 5-10 PM and 10 PM -2 AM Training was completed on shift with

professional staff Fall 2008 CA training was added to the RA

training schedule CA shifts were adjusted to 9 PM -3 AM RAs can still opt to do CA shifts in place of

desk hours

Supervisors

Spring 2008- Chosen from RD Staff and outstanding RA staff

Fall 2008- Outstanding performers during training were selected and interviewed for the position

Spring 2009- Looking at bringing the RA and RD staff back in to the program as supervisors

Fall 2009- an online Training Module will be added to the 2 day training

Supervision of Program

Area Coordinator for Residence Life Operations is the direct supervisor of program

Two Graduate Residence Directors responsible for the day to day staffing and problem solving

CA Supervisors responsible for shift operations

Duties

CAs conduct rounds in the halls and address minor violations such as: noise and guests not being checked in.

CAs refer all other violations to the RA on Duty in that hall.

CAs report all violations to the CAS and if unsure about anything communicate with CAS

CAs check in with CAS when entering and leaving a building.

Referral Forms

Shift Structure

Four CAs and one supervisor are scheduled for each shift

CAs and CAS wear identifying t-shirts and badges during shift

Supervisor determine m/f pairs and location of rounds at beginning of shift

Supervisor maintains radio contact with CAs throughout shift

CAs log all activity in the CA Binder of each building

Impact of CA Program

Residents feel safer because of the visibility of the CAs

More staff are visible and may deter behavior More situations are addressed as more staff

are conducting rounds in the buildings 89% of residents feel safe in our residence

halls at MSU 70% of all judicials are regarding visitation

violations.

Impact on Safety

Fewer non-student individuals in and around the residence halls

Fewer instances of unescorted guests in the residence halls

Incidents are reported and responded to in a more timely manner

Fewer propped doors Better communication between hall staffs

A work in progress…

Still learning what works and does not work Challenges in recruitment of CAs Adjusting staff coverage for football season Still adjusting and refining procedures and

responsibilities Still educating residents about policies

Questions or Comments?