[jpelletier]

We experience the same community visitor traffic you described – our position on the edge of campus means that we are often a prime location for that.

Our Information Center has a silent duress alarm that staff can pull if they get into a situation that feels unsafe. It was installed because we have a cash register for ticket sales, but we have kept it in place even though we are essentially a cashless operation now. Some of the building cameras also capture activity in that area, so if a staff member pulled that alarm, our dispatch center would be able to observe while a campus police officer responds.

Our student building manager also occupies space at the Information Center, when they are not doing building rounds or assisting a client or guest, and we ensure that there is always more than one person working at a time, for safety in numbers.

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Jeff Pelletier, MA, MBOE, LSSBB
Ohio Union Director
The Ohio State University
Columbus, OH
614-292-3290
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Original Message:
Sent: 02-15-2024 11:03
From: Sarah Feldman
Subject: Info Desk Staff Safety

Hi everyone! 

Our Student Center is one of the largest public buildings in our part of the city so we get a variety of people in here. We constantly have a lot of “interesting” interactions at the Info Desk in particular. Are there any operational changes you have implemented to increase safety/comfortability level of staff at the Info Desk at urban institutions – considering how frontward facing they are? I’m trying to work on ways to increase safety for this student staff as they seem to be subject to most of the “characters” that visit the space. 

Thanks! 

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Sarah Feldman
Operations Manager
Temple University
Philadelphia PA
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[Monica Graham]

Greetings Sarah,

I was born and raised in Philadelphia and know the Temple University area quite well. You are indeed in the ‘Thick of Things’ to say the least. I Manage the Student Center Information Center at Georgia State University in the city of Atlanta and we have the same issues that you have at Temple being that our campus buildings are intertwined with non-GSU buildings and businesses. As our building is open to the public, (as Jeff Pelletier put it) we experience the same ‘community visitor traffic that you described’. Unfortunately, this means that myself and my staff are often subject to ‘not-too friendly and sometimes alarming/unsafe’ interactions and situations.?

Just under a year ago (April 2023), I attended a Safety Town Hall which was facilitated by our university President, our Police Chief and our Director of Emergency Management just to name a few. I spoke up about the many instances where myself and my student employees are subjected to alarming/unsafe interactions and situations. Well, my voice (along with others who spoke up) was heard and there was an immediate ‘call to action’ to address our concerns along with a lot of other student, staff and faculty regarding safety on campus.

Almost immediately, the Director of Emergency Management and his team were here in the Student Center conducting a Building Safety Assessment. One of the most important changes as a result of the Safety Town Hall is that any of our buildings on campus that have public access, now have shortened public access hours during the week and no public access on the weekends… unless you are an attendee for an event at which time your entry to a building is monitored. Entry to any of these buildings outside of the public access times is accessible by student/staff/faculty card swipe only. Increased university police presence and foot patrol were also implemented which makes myself and my staff feel much safer and have made a huge difference.

Additionally, our Information Center is still enclosed by plexiglass which was installed as a result of the pandemic. Even after we returned to regular operations, myself and my staff requested that the plexiglass stay in place as it creates a bit of security while ensuring that we are still able to provide great customer service to our guests/patrons/visitors.

Similar to the ‘silent duress alarm’ that Jeff and the crew at The Ohio State University have in place, we have a ‘Panic Button’ (which has been in place for a few years) which when activated, immediately alerts our police dispatch that we have a situation to which university police promptly respond.

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Monica Graham
Administrative Specialist
Georgia State University
Atlanta GA
(404) 413-1890
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——————————————-
Original Message:
Sent: 02-15-2024 11:03
From: Sarah Feldman
Subject: Info Desk Staff Safety

Hi everyone! 

Our Student Center is one of the largest public buildings in our part of the city so we get a variety of people in here. We constantly have a lot of “interesting” interactions at the Info Desk in particular. Are there any operational changes you have implemented to increase safety/comfortability level of staff at the Info Desk at urban institutions – considering how frontward facing they are? I’m trying to work on ways to increase safety for this student staff as they seem to be subject to most of the “characters” that visit the space. 

Thanks! 

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Sarah Feldman
Operations Manager
Temple University
Philadelphia PA
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