Positive #3: Jump Starting Cars

For my last positive blog on Wartburg Security, I'd like to devote some time talking about how they jump start people's cars for free.

I think this is a ridiculously nice thing that a lot of students don't use much. Mostly because their car batteries never die, but some that do actually call a towing service or auto repair shop to jump a car for them. How do I know some students do that? Well, for starters, when I was a freshman, I did.I called the auto repair place in town and asked for a jump, since their business card they gave me said they'd happily come out and do it for a small price. I figured it wouldn't be a big problem, yet I was wrong when they billed me for $35! 

I felt like such a freshman when one of the guys on the soccer team asked me why I didn't just call Security and they'd come out and do it for free. Bottom line, if you can't find a fellow friend to come out to the parking lot and jump your car for you, call security. It's free and a lot of times they'll greet you with a smile, since they like what they do: help you!

Also, for my PSA of the day, I should probably say that it's just a good precaution to keep a pair of jumper cables in your car for good measure. You never know when you or a random person will need a jump and if you aren't on campus, you'll need them. Also a blanket, but that’s a different story.

I’d like to finish my blog by saying thanks to Wartburg Security for helping me with everything on this site. I’ve interviewed John Myers countless times, as well as many officers on the staff, and all of them have been nothing but kind to me. They really are awesome and people don’t realize all they do to keep us safe and happy here at Wartburg.

Negative #3 Part Two: Parking Tickets

I figured I would split this up into a second part since two blogs of 300 words each would be easy to write in regards to parking tickets. Anyways, on to part two.

I was driving back from HyVee today and saw some students moving out of Vollmer and Grossman, when sure enough the Wartburg Security cart came rolling up to check how long students had been parking there and whether they had gone over the time limit.

Look, I'm all for checking parking time limits, but to be so steadfast is kind of ridiculous. Students are stressed enough trying to remember everything to pack into their trucks, whether they took apart their lofts correctly and how their going to fool their RA into thinking they put their room back correctly. The last thing they want to see when moving their refrigerator into their car is an orange sticker underneath their windshield wipers.

That being said, if students are taking up three hours in the same spot, they deserve to get a fine. Especially with street space being as crowded as it is, there's no need to keep your 2001 Ford Focus on the curb for three hours as you reminisce with your roommate about all of the illegal alcohol you drank over the year and how you're definitely not going to miss the freshman bathrooms.

That is the one time that I'll advocate for Wartburg Security on parking tickets. Students should be conscientious of others, and when they aren't they deserve to pay the consequence.

As I do in every other blog, I just want to say thanks to Wartburg Security Officers. They get a huge amount of flak from students in terms of parking ticket discrepancies, but in the end what they do is because it keeps us safer. And that is what it's all about.

Negative #2 Part One: Parking Tickets

What seems to be the biggest issue students have with Security is their doling out of parking tickets here on campus. I decided to split this into two separate blogs just because I can honestly write two blogs of 300 words each on the subject. Therefore, I will.

I recently surveyed 100 students here on campus and asked their opinions on whether they thought Wartburg Security does a "good job," and whether they feel safe on campus. Seventy-five percent of students thought they felt Wartburg Security was doing a good job. Ninety-two percent said they feel safe here on campus.

The third question I asked was whether or not they would change anything to Security as it is. About a third of the students referenced parking tickets. One third. If parking tickets are the first thing that pop into students' minds when asked about changing something, there's quite obviously a problem. Students complained about the fact that there's basically nowhere to park their cars and they always get ticketed. But here's the thing: we do have a place to park. They're calling parking lots. Get a permit at the start of the year (it's not that hard), and you're good to go and can park in that lot whenever you want for however long you want.

I guess my advice to students is to just not be negligent with your cars. Don't park it on the street because it will get ticketed. Regardless of how long it's there, assume Security is watching you like a hawk and move your car back to the lot when you're done with it. If you go to Wal-mart and get groceries, you can unload your stuff into your room, but move your car back and you won't get ticketed. It's not rocket science people.

Positive #2: Unlocking Rooms

The second thing I think Wartburg Security does that doesn't get enough credit is they'll come to your room and unlock your door if you've locked yourself out.

That's a really under appreciated benefit that we students don't think much about. Granted, most don't utilize this because they either keep their keys on them at all times, or they just keep their doors unlocked. Although unwise, I'm a part of the latter group and so I have not had to call them to unlock my door. However, think of a bigger school like Iowa State or the University of Iowa. If I attended either of those schools, and I locked myself out, I probably would have to pray my roommate would be coming back to the room relatively soon or I'd be out luck.

Now don't quote me on this, but I highly doubt a school of 35,000 students like Iowa State would be able to allow their security staff to be driving around Ames to be unlocking dorm room doors when students lock themselves out. With a campus the size of ours, our security can do that, and us as students should be grateful they do that for us.

The simple alternative is having the RAs help us unlock our doors instead of security. One time I tried to locate an RA to unlock the door to the rec room in cardinal commons to play ping pong. It took 45 minutes to track one down, and that's when they were supposed to be "on duty" in the RA lounge. If it takes me 45 minutes to find one when trying to play ping pong, I don't want to wait that long to get into my room if I've locked myself out. Ridiculous.

Negative #1: Sand Volleyball Diligence

I want to start with a quick statement to say I do not condone underage drinking. With that said, I'll continue with the series of the "Positives and Negatives of Wartburg Security" and how it deals with safety on campus.

Recently, Wartburg Security emailed residents of the manors because of a "so-called" spike in drinking out by the sand volleyball courts. Because the courts are Wartburg property, they can be regulated just like different dorms can in terms of alcohol acceptance. In this case, they are dry, and nobody can drink out there, regardless of age.

Now, I get that this is for safety. There is nothing worse than students getting blackout drunk and stumbling around becoming a nuisance to all. However, in all of my hours of being out at the courts (and it's a lot), that has never happened. The rule makes sense to prevent people from getting too drunk, but if students are of age, I don't see what the problem is with bringing out a couple beers and enjoying the warm May Term weather responsibly.

If Wartburg wants us to act like the adults that we are, the first step is to treat us like adults. And that includes giving us responsibility. If we abuse it, fine. We get our rights taken away.

As it is right now, students (21 years of age, mind you) are getting in trouble for having a couple beers out by the sand volleyball courts. Wartburg Security now makes regular trips every day out to the courts to prevent a victimless crime from occurring. I'm all for following rules, but the one in place right now does not make sense.

To close, at least our campus is being safely watched over by Wartburg Security. At this point in time, I wish the safety net could be a little more giving, but I'll give them credit for making me feel safer on campus.

Postive #1: Helping the Injured

I wanted to kind of categorize my blogs into a "positives and negatives of Wartburg Security" and how it helps with campus safety. I feel like my blogs will be a perfect time to do this, considering doing this in a sidebar story or a main story would be way too biased and opinionated, and in a blog I can actually share my opinion.

My first one is going to be a positive of Wartburg Security. If you have an injury that would prevent you from getting to class in a timely manner, they will actually pick you up in their golf cart and take you to class.

One of the guys on the soccer team broke his leg last fall in a game (actually had to go to the hospital to get surgery), and utilized this service of security for a couple of months. A couple weeks ago I heard him bashing on Security for never doing anything but writing parking tickets and never helping the students.

I couldn't believe his disrespect! Take a guy who was carted around for two months to and from class and now he's talking ill of them. Completely ungrateful. I had to remind him that they did, in fact, drive him to and from class every day, and he said, "Oh yeah, Boyke, I forgot about that. That was pretty cool."

People just don't understand how much of a luxury this is, and that other colleges probably don't have it. Our security office cares about us as students. They would rather drive you to class and make sure you got there safely than for you to try to walk there when you aren't physically able and get yourself more hurt. They care about our safety and will do anything to ensure we feel as safe as possible as students.