Troy Bowen takes a call from a fellow security guard, requesting his assistance. (Photo/Jordan Stepp)
Red shirts at the library security desk signify lower ranking guards. At the MLC, they signify managers. (Photo/Jordan Stepp)By Jordan Stepp
They sit unnoticed by most of the students who cross their paths. And they like it that way.
The security guards at the University of Georgia have a tough, often boring, but rewarding job. It is their duty to make sure that the students, faculty, and staff at UGA are kept safe. Tucked behind their desks, these student workers may appear to not be paying attention, but they are actually watching far closer than anyone can imagine.
“We love to people watch,” said Danielle Kelley, a third year student who works as a guard in the Zell B. Miller Student Learning Center. “It’s kind of our job to pay attention.”
Troy Bowen, a graduate student and Kelley’s co-worker, agrees.
“Sometimes we get called to handle situations in other parts of the MLC, but if we catch a suspicious person before they do something, we can keep an eye on them and maybe prevent a situation,” said Bowen.
The common duties of a student security guard include patrolling the area, taking head counts and handling lost and found items.
“We get at least three or four items a day,” said Bowen. “Stuff like iPods, laptops, keys, sunglasses…pretty much anything that you can lose. We once found a tent!”
Something the MLC and the library security staffs have in common is the influx of homeless people during trying weather conditions.
Alexandria Floyd, a third year health major, has seen her fair share of homeless patrons in her nine months of working at UGA’s Main Library.
“They’ll come in wanting to just have a place to stay for a while,” said Floyd. “Sometimes we have to ask them to leave though. Especially when we’re about to close.”
Floyd is relatively new as a security guard, which is signified by her red security shirt. More experienced guards at the library wear black shirts and have extra duties such as opening and closing the library.
Inexperienced guards at the MLC wear gray when they first begin, but can move up to management level red shirts.
For now, Floyd, Bowen, and Kelley don’t mind being new to the game. Their responsibilities may be less, but they take them just as seriously.
“We just want to make sure no one is doing anything they shouldn’t,” said Bowen. “It’s for the good of the building and the people in it.”
Edited by Marcie Opraseuth
