Escort for Evening Students, Research Proposal Example

Abstract

Several federal laws have been created to stress the importance of campus security since the early 1990’s. With these laws in place, colleges and universities are required to report any crimes that happen within the grounds of the campus. This report has caused Americans to pay closer attention to crimes that take place on college campuses. These reports were meant to serve two purposes. First, this information would help students and parents make wiser decisions about the colleges they chose. Second, students who are attending crime prone colleges can make wise educated decisions about their behaviors. Many college students report they are afraid of being victimized on campus. It is important for colleges and universities to poll students so that they will better understand the level of fear students are coping with. Knowing this information will enable campus officials to better develop security systems and make students aware of crimes that may take place on campus. All college campuses have some degree of violence and crime within their campuses, but it is important to understand that the campuses’ demographic make-up, activities, geographic location, and police presence plays an integral role in the caliber of crime that may be committed on any particular campus.

Introduction

Crimes among college students can be just as hideous as crimes committed in the general population of the outside world. Until recent years, college campuses were seen as a sanctuary that protected its students from society. However, today college students have a perception of the risk they may be susceptible to. After World-War II, the lifestyle on college campuses changed drastically. Many veterans were returning home with GI Bills and entering colleges for the first time. College students had changed; some students were attending part-time, others were commuting, and others were on technical tract. This changed the culture on campuses across the United States. Campuses revised the way students could attend. They began offering courses for various types of students. Evening and night classes became very popular for non-traditional students. These classes allowed students to maintain family and work while pursuing a degree. According to statistics, more than 50,000 violent crimes and or property theft occurs on college campuses annually. These numbers are astronomically high, yet many campuses do not have a police escort system in place for students who may feel threatened or unsafe while attending evening classes. All college campuses should offer escort services to students if they so desire to use them. The security escort system should offer services to students, faculty, and staff member beginning at sun down. This service will benefit the college because it will lower crime rates on college campuses. The escort service personnel can also help to eliminate property damage and burglaries on campuses. Any security measure that may save lives is worth putting forth the extra effort to make it a success. The objective is to provide trained security personnel who will be able to secure the well-being of evening students and their property. This can be done by outsourcing the hiring of six security guards for the campus. Outsourcing is the best economical solution because the university will only have to pay the hourly rate that the security company charges for the services of a security guard.

Background

As of now, our college does not have a security system in place for students attending evening classes. However, students use their own precautionary measures. Some students walk together in groups to their evening classes. While others carry pepper spray to protect themselves from anyone who might seek to harm them. Although these measures may seem sufficient to students, most agree they would breathe a sigh of relief if they could just call an escort when they leave class. If all evening classes were designated to certain buildings on campus, there would be limited need of man power to secure the grounds. If all classes were designated to a minimum of three buildings, there would be a need for only six escort personnel. Statistics show that uniform personnel or just the presence of a uniform personnel car deters crimes.

Estimated Cost

The university needs to outsource at least six armed security personnel to escort evening students on campus. If the university can designate certain buildings for evening classes, this will help with cost of providing adequate security for the students. By designating three buildings to be used, this eliminates the factor of patrolling the entire campus. Most out sourcing companies provide armed security personnel for $30.00 per hour. If the campus were to uses the services of six guards, the estimated cost would be about $3,700 dollars per month.

Location/Time-line

The security personnel could be placed two to a building. They would begin work around 5p.m. and end around 9.pm. They will be available Monday-Friday. This would be convenient for students who want to come to campus early and those who may need to stay a little late. Classes for evening students usually begin around 5:45p.m. and end around 8:30p.m. If successful, this security measure could run the duration of the school terms. There would be no security personnel available on weekends, holiday, or any other times when the university is closed.

Staffing Requirements

All security personnel would need to be thoroughly oriented of the campus. They would need to know the building layout and campus layout. The security guards will need to be trained in expected behavior. All security personnel will train and certified in First Aid and CPR in case of a medical emergency on campus. The minimum age for a security guard is 21. They must have a high school diploma or its equivalency. They must not have a history of drug or alcohol use, criminal convictions, mental illness. They must be physically fit and able to hear and see well. They must have good personal hygiene. They must be able to stand, walk, or run for extended periods of time if asked to do so. Finally, they must be able to pass a university administered test. The test would consist of knowing the building layout and campus layout. They must also score within reasonable means on a personality test.

Consequences

The greatest advantage of outsourcing security personnel for a company is that the university will save financially. By outsourcing the university is saving money on the costs of training, uniforms, insurance benefits, vacation, and sick-leave pay. This is great because quality service is needed, but the service must be provided within a minimum budget. With this plan, unexpected costs are obsolete. However, there may be some security issues. By outsourcing, the university is taking a chance that each security personnel is highly qualified and honest. The university has to take the word of the company that each individual’s background has been thoroughly checked. If an individual that has mental illness issues are drug or alcohol were to be able to slip through the background check, the students safety would be in jeopardy. Because we are using armed security personnel, if something were to go wrong it could be fatally devastating. Nonetheless, the fact that the security personnel has guns can be a benefit as well. In the event that force may need to be used, security personnel would have access to firearms and be adequately trained to use them. Once security personnel has successfully passed test administered by university personnel, they will be allowed to report for duty.

Conclusion

The incidences of violence on college campuses are rapidly increasing in the United States. Many believe this has to do with the fact that drinking is a common occurrence on college campuses today. Yet, others believe the violence is due to the constant stress and unaddressed mental illness many college students face. Many researchers believe it is a combination of factors. As a result, many universities require all applicants to take a personality test. If this is done, officials have a closer look into the person’s personality. Often, previous strange behaviors can be a precursor to psychotic episodes. Too often people think back to a time when someone did something that was strange or irregular. However, they never reported the incident to the proper authorities. Consequently, college campuses have become the setting of many murders, sexual assaults, and other horrific crimes. Most recent, the Virginia Tech massacre shocked America. This shooting took place in 2007. A year later in 2008, a shooting took place on Northern Illinois University. A mentally ill shooter who was taking several anti-psychotic medication opened fire on a professor and his students. He killed five and wounded 21 before he took his own life. A Virginia Tech senior walked into a lecture hall and opened fire. Before killing himself, he had killed 32 people and wounded dozens. Decades earlier in 1970 at Kent State four students were killed and nine were wounded when national guardsmen fired upon students protesting the invasion of Cambodia. The list of violent crimes on college campuses is endless. As a result, it is imperative to have security personnel in place to prevent or lessen the tragedy of violent events that could happen on campus. Security personnel are needed. Limiting the areas where evening students have class is also a great security measure. Something must be done to ensure that evening students are safe. Hind sight is always 20/20, but if measures are taken now issues can be resolved before they happen. If this measure only saves one life, it will be well worth the money and effort put into it.