The job of Safety and Security is to maintain a safe, stable environment for faculty, staff and students, as well as to make sure that students are safe while attending school during the semester. However, according to recent complaints, Safety and Security has been neglecting their duties.
Numerous students have said that when asking security for a ride, they were denied for unfair reasons. Students claimed they were either given weak excuses or ignored completely. As the size of campus can’t be the problem for denying students rides, many students assume it is simply the laziness and inadequacy of security itself.
Security has a very uneasy reputation within the St. Bonaventure student community. Many students outright despise security, while others are unsure how they should feel. Writers for The Bona Venture have also reported being yelled at by the Security Director, Gary M. Segrue, for very minute reasons. They have also gotten a reputation for being very difficult to interview, as I can personally attest to.
Despite all this controversy, some students state that Security’s job is difficult and that they may have legitimate reasons for refusing to give rides. Bobby Nguyen, a Resident Assistant on third Devereux Hall, says that Security is doing an adequate job.
“In my opinion, Safety and Security is doing their job correctly,” said Nguyen.
Yet, Nguyen also acknowledges the problems faced by Security.
“Security is definitely understaffed, maybe they could get more staff for the night and weekends,” said Nguyen.
This is true, perhaps; security is understaffed. But this does not equate to the many claims students have made. How many times have you entered the Safety and Security office and found it inhabited by more security staff members than there needs to be? How many times have you seen security simply doing nothing? I’d wager every student has seen it at some point.
What the security staff need to do is inform the students of its role at St. Bonaventure. What do they do? What are their job requirements? What’s the routine they follow? What is the range of campus they are supposed to patrol? A better understanding of what security actually does would most likely release the tension that has been brewing over the years.
By Brendan O’Leary, News Assignment Editor
olearybm16@bonaventure.edu
