Jack Kirk
Features Reporter

Many students have jobs centered on services or products, but the Campus Safety Assistants have a different level of responsibility.

“We check all the parking lots, check the buildings, if anything is being vandalized, or check for anything suspicious,” CSA Chester Manalo said. “Sunday through Thursday, we stay until two in the morning. Friday and Saturday, we stay here until three.”

The CSAs are an extension of the police on campus. Even though they do not have the power to make arrests, they are an important addition to security on campus.

“We also have scheduled escorts, which is the rec center, the Mav Pav, the library, and sometimes people in the UC. The Mav Pav, we escort them to the Mav Center because they are carrying money.” Manalo said. “There are always girls working so if they want us to walk them back to their dorms or their cars they don’t need to call us, we already know, because it is scheduled.”

These students help to ensure everyone on campus is safe. They would rather see everyone go home safely than have to break up a fight.

“We have as much say as any other RA on campus. Can’t get into a confrontation, can’t touch them physically, so it’s more of a safety in numbers kind of thing,” CSA Anthony Martin said.

However, according to Manalo, the CSAs are allowed to defend themselves if they need to.

In addition to patrolling and escorting people around campus at night the CSAs also work events such as the foam party or concerts.

“At the foam party, we wanted to make sure people got home safe. It is a dry campus, but we want to make sure everyone is ok and safe on campus,” Martin said. “Weekends are pretty heavy, with a lot of foot traffic and a lot of partying on campus.”

Recently, the students have been stepping up even more by doing rounds of the bike racks.

“We have been doing rounds during the day, because that is typically when it has been happening. More rounds and showing our presence on campus,” Manalo said.

While their job is serious, the CSAs are not all work all the time.

“I get to work with a great group of people. Our bosses are the coolest people you can meet on campus. They are much more laid back and you get to see a side of them that you wouldn’t normally see if you never worked this part of the job,” Manalo said.

Originally, the CSA program was just called the Escort program. This program just escorted student around campus late at night, but then the cops stepped in and it became a more intensive job.

“I applied my freshman year here, and it was, at the time, more of just a job,” Martin said. “But then I ended up growing to like it the program itself. I became closer with the cops. It kind of sparked an interest in possibly doing law enforcement in the future, and that’s a thought I never had before doing this job.”

jkirk@mavs.coloradomesa.edu