Safety Office Keeps Campus Safe

By Cassidy Stefka
Edited September 21, 2010

While freshmen are enjoying the new freedoms of college, many are realizing that there are still people looking out for their safety.

With a staff of five, the Doane Safety Office can be seen patrolling the paths or helping students at the safety desk throughout the day. “Anything they [the students] don’t feel comfortable with…we want to know about it,” Safety Administrator Jeremy Carther said, “We customize our patrol hours the way we feel necessary; it changes everyday. We try and stay out on patrol as much as possible, both on foot and in a vehicle.”

Carther said the number of rounds varies from shift to shift, but a round officially consists of going to every floor of a building, checking the keyless entry locks and pushing on doors to make sure they’re closed. Carther said some rounds focus more on high-traffic areas, while others focus on less-used spots on campus.

While on patrol, officers may be reached at (402) 826-8669. This line rings directly to the administrator cell phone.

If a student needs a room unlocked and the safety officer is on rounds, Carther said the officer will either return to the safety desk to give the student the key, or go the building and unlock the room, provided the student has their ID.

Other services the safety office provides include replacing ID’s, managing parking and escorting students across campus.

“It’s good to have their services available to students,” Freshman Ryan Mueller said. “When I lost my Doane ID, they [the safety office] had it replaced for me in almost 10 minutes. I feel very comfortable at Doane.”

According to their website, http://www.doane.edu/Students/Campus/Safety/mission/, the safety office accomplishes their mission of safety by securing, monitoring, enforcing and providing administrative resources while offering visibility to the community, coordination of safety related events, and by acting as a liaison with local emergency services.

“I feel the quality of safety at Doane is a lot better in comparison with bigger schools,” Freshman Bryan Greenough said. “The safety guys do a great job of making themselves seen around campus.”