2008 Woodie Awards
Tales from Student Patrol
Denise Graham
Issue date: 10/15/07 Section: Op-Eds
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With every day and night being different, Kim Kastner looks forward to her shifts on duty with Student Patrol.
"Most of the time as I walk around campus, we get looks from the other students, which makes us think either they are afraid of us or aren't quite sure what our job is," Kastner says. "It is interesting to see what each and every shift brings."
While on "regular patrol," she walks around with a partner and makes sure the campus is safe. If at any point there is suspicious activity, they must call Campus Police and let them know of any activity is happening.
Out of all the patroling Kastner has done over these past two years, she recalls the randomness of her job to be the most memorable.
"One time on duty, a girl came up from behind us and ran to the blue light tower, grabbed something that was sitting underneath it and ran away. It was weird and we were unsure as to what happened. So we patroled around that area for a bit longer and realized it was just part of a scavenger hunt or something along those lines."
Most students don't realize that Student Patrol works in conjunction with the police department. Kastner said that even though she has never had to call the police with a situation gone wrong, they are instructed to do so.
"Last semester, I worked at Gate Two and watched over the visitors parking lot. My job was to not let any students or faculty park in the lot," she recalls. "Every time I had worked there I had several students and faculty who would run the stop sign and just park without even stopping at the gate to ask permission.
"It is frustrating for me at times because I am only a student myself. I had to use my authority and do my job
"Most of the time as I walk around campus, we get looks from the other students, which makes us think either they are afraid of us or aren't quite sure what our job is," Kastner says. "It is interesting to see what each and every shift brings."
While on "regular patrol," she walks around with a partner and makes sure the campus is safe. If at any point there is suspicious activity, they must call Campus Police and let them know of any activity is happening.
Out of all the patroling Kastner has done over these past two years, she recalls the randomness of her job to be the most memorable.
"One time on duty, a girl came up from behind us and ran to the blue light tower, grabbed something that was sitting underneath it and ran away. It was weird and we were unsure as to what happened. So we patroled around that area for a bit longer and realized it was just part of a scavenger hunt or something along those lines."
Most students don't realize that Student Patrol works in conjunction with the police department. Kastner said that even though she has never had to call the police with a situation gone wrong, they are instructed to do so.
"Last semester, I worked at Gate Two and watched over the visitors parking lot. My job was to not let any students or faculty park in the lot," she recalls. "Every time I had worked there I had several students and faculty who would run the stop sign and just park without even stopping at the gate to ask permission.
"It is frustrating for me at times because I am only a student myself. I had to use my authority and do my job
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