Student Workers aid in on-campus driving

By RACHEL MCLAUGHLIN

Updated: September 30, 2012, 5:32 PM

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GVL / Eric Coulter
Henry Gorajec places a parking ticket on an illegaly parked car

GVL / Eric Coulter
Henry Gorajec and Dani Poll keep traffic at bay as a student crosses the street

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For the last 15-20 years, GVSU has employed students to work with the Department of Public Safety and the Police Department in order to create a safer campus for vehicles, those attending football games, and foot-traffic alike.

This semester there are 40 students directing traffic and enforcing parking rules and regulations under the supervision of Officer Paul Weaver. Arguably, Grand Valley State is one of the only universities to have (student) parking enforcement and crosswalk patrollers.

“Students have a greater investiture in the school. People need to understand why they’re there…To keep traffic moving on Campus Drive and help people safely across the road; everyone crosses the street,” said Capt. Brandon DeHaan, assistant director of DPS.

While most of the student employees do not have criminal justice backgrounds or majors, not everyone is cut out to be a member of law enforcement. Workers for the Public Safety Department are typically thorough in order to fill out citations, outgoing, and work well with others as the position puts students in direct contact with not only their fellow peers but members of the faculty and community as well.

“I definitely feel like I know more people,” said DPS student worker Kayla Simmons, “The job isn’t glamorous but we make people feel welcome and direct them where they need to go.”

On the outside, it may appear that the jobs of the GVSU crosswalk and parking enforcement officials are lonely or tiresome but the staff gets to know and meet not only each other but the student pedestrians as well.

“I liked to be able to be connected to the people,” said Alexa Corl, supervisor of traffice directing. “Even when you’re just waving people across the street you get to know them because you get to see the same people typically at the same time day after day…You even get to know when they have tests coming up. And when you walk by the crosswalk you’ll see most of the staff laughing at something someone said and having a good time.”

Every day the DPS team is taken for granted. Who would think that the average crosswalk worker is going to make a difference?

“Someone locked her keys out of her car and she was late to class,” Simmons said. “There was no one else around except us and she asked us for help. She was just so grateful. Not everyone hates us and there are things we can do to help people on campus even if they don’t see it.”

Corl, who has worked for the DPS for a handful of years, particularly takes the “helping” aspect of the job to heart. After starting work as a Department of Public Safety student worker, Corl quickly realized to change her minor, Psychology, to her major and drop Pre-Med to do Criminal Justice.

“I really like helping people and my job inspired me to want to help kids at juvenile detention centers go to college and get this experience,” Corl said.

More often than not, DPS student workers have stereotypical misconceptions made about them because not everyone tries or even wants to get to know them at their posts or on their shifts.

“Some people just think that we just give tickets,” Simmons said. “That’s not it at all. We don’t have a quota to meet or anything. That’s just not the case.”

“We don’t ticket to be mean; we do it to be fair for people to park in the area,” Corl said. “We aren’t the awful people some make us out to be, we’re just here to help everyone and it’s nice for people to know that that’s just what we want to do.”

Before, permits were only required for the resident lots and Grand Rapids’ PEW Campus but now parking permits are required for everyone in every parking lot. The Department of Public Safety student workers, when not directing traffic and helping pedestrians cross the street, are distributing parking tickets using their electric handheld and a small printer.

“No one likes tickets, we get them too. Most people understand why they received a ticket and most won’t argue but there are always some who will make sure you hear exactly how they feel about our job. That’s the most difficult part but at least we know we’re doing our job right to make it fair for everyone,” Corl said.

Contrary to popular belief, the funds from the tickets go into GVSU’s general fund for student tuition and operating costs rather than the police department or the workers themselves.

To aid student walkers and bikers further, additional staff has been added around the new library construction site and the student workers are always on duty despite weather conditions. Various students understand that the DPS workers are there for them and not themselves.

“I was soaking wet and freezing cold and one girl who walked across the street every day for a month came and brought me hot cocoa. It’s nice to know that we’re still appreciated even when part of our job is ticketing people,” Corl said.

rmclaughlin@lanthorn.com

Published September 30, 2012 Laker Life, PageOne