By: Jon Dusza, Managing Editor
The Public Safety department at Canisius is no longer offering to escort students home at night on campus, a change in policy from years past. Students were not informed of this change in policy before it occurred.
In the past, Public Safety escorted students back to their dorms on campus upon request if they had to walk outside during the dark hours of the night. For students who, for instance, were in the library late at night studying, or for some other reason had to walk around campus late at night, being escorted by a Public Safety officer was a way to both protect students and make students feel comfortable. That is no longer the case this year.
Vice President & Dean of Students Dr. Harold Fields addressed the change after being asked about it in the senate meeting of the Undergraduate Student Association a few weeks ago. During the meeting, Fields confirmed that the first weeks of the semester were not an aberration and that it was, indeed, the new policy not to provide escorts. He also said the school could not commit to any sort of return to that previous policy in the future.
Fields did speak about a proposal that would fill the void left by the policy change. He said that he spoke with head of Public Safety Chief Beaty about establishing a position, held by a student, who would accompany fellow students on their walk home on campus, should they request to be accompanied. Fields added that such a position would be eligible for work study. Nothing about the proposal is official yet, but it is something that could potentially be implemented in the future.
Fields did not go into why the practice of Public Safety escorting students was ended in the first place. While the cause of the change in policy is not clear, the change happened and is apparently here to stay regardless.
The Griffin reached out to Public Safety to talk about this subject but has not yet received a response.
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