Impact of Student Security Labor

Tightening budgets and growing security needs often result in campus leaders looking to supplement the security team with student workers. What is the impact of students employed as security personnel on campus? 

Security officers are required to be on post, on time, prepared to handle a range of challenges, and they must remain focused. However, with student workers, the responsibility to monitor access, patrol, escort, and/or respond is always trumped by the student’s primary job – achieving academic success. Additionally, the lower cost of student labor is also accompanied by minimal training, lack of expertise and, in a peer-to-peer environment, lack of authority.

How secure is a residence hall if student officers, exhausted from their studies, fall asleep on their midnight to 8 a.m. access control shift, or worse, fail to show up for duty at all? How secure is a residence hall when the student desk officer is confronted with a request to let fellow students enter unhindered, rather than appropriately checking credentials? Post abandonment, sleeping on the job, peer pressure and fraternization are all dangerous compromises of a security program that employs student workers.

Today’s security professional is an integral, proactive part of creating a safe environment; and preparing for all hazards. The campus security officer role is a demanding one. When a security officer is reliably on post, knows what to do, and is engaged and attentive, it increases the community’s confidence in the campus’ safety. It is critical that each interaction with a security team member ensures a respectful culture is in place, risk is managed, compliance is attained, business continuity sustained and the brand protected. Campus security officers are also trusted, respected resources and that posture is difficult to maintain when student workers are part of the security team. Security officers are essential to help ensure that students, staff, faculty and visitors can go about their business of studying, teaching, working and living more confidently. 

As you consider the right approach for your security program, read more about Education Security Planning.

  About the Author
  Paul Caruso is the Vice President of Sales – New England for Allied Universal.