By Kevin Fitzsimons Security Services Director Patrick Maughan lends a hand in the control center at Blankenship Hall, where all University surveillance cameras are monitored.

Security Services expands to meet growing demands

Advice on overseas travel and protecting University artifacts have been added to the responsibilities of the Public Safety division

A security force created in 1989 to oversee the Wexner Center for the Arts has blossomed into a full-scale arm of Public Safety that serves as the command center for all of the University's alarm systems and surveillance cameras.

In addition to Wexner security, University Security Services offers uniformed security for the Fawcett Center, the Veterinary Hospital, Main Library, Science and Engineering Library, and the Jerome Schottenstein Center, as well as the Costume and Textiles Library in Campbell Hall.

The staff offers a diverse list of services, including an awareness program that deals with safekeeping of University artifacts, security planning and guidance for those traveling abroad. In conjunction with the U.S. State Department, Security Services will help identify possible trouble areas for faculty, staff and students planning to travel overseas, and it operates a 24-hour control center that summons help when an overseas traveler dials 292-6677, said Security Services Director Patrick Maughan.

"We begin the process of rallying the University's total resources to help the University traveler in trouble,"Maughan said, adding that the service has been employed successfully in cases of robbery and emergency surgery.

Maughan, an Ohio State employee for 29 years -- which included jobs as assistant fire chief, paramedic and director of Wexner security -- has overseen the transformation of Security Services. In 1994, the Wexner security force expanded to become a monitoring center for all campus alarms to standardize alarm response protocols, he said.

"The old alarms were being monitored ad hoc,"Maughan said. "Some were monitored out of state, and others were sent directly to the police department."

As requests for uniformed security started coming in from other areas of campus, Maughan said the need for a Universitywide security force became evident. The unit's first account outside of the Wexner Center was with the Science and Engineering Library, when it started a 24-hour operation.

Services include building patrol, escorts to and from buildings, and mitigation of emergencies such as water leaks. A staff of 18 has swelled to 30, and Maughan said he anticipates further growth in this earnings operation as staffing permits. Despite the growth, he said maintaining a Wexner security presence remains a priority.

An important initiative under way, but restricted by staffing, is the involvement in security planning, Maughan said. The Security Services staff reviews proposed new construction or remodeling projects on campus, looking for possible incorporation of the principles of crime prevention through environmental design or conventional security alarm systems, he said.

While protecting people and buildings from harm is vital, Security Services took safekeeping a step further when it launched a community outreach program four years ago designed to protect Ohio State's hidden treasures. "Reducing the Risk"teams Security Services and University Police to locate, inventory and document the many items of historic, artistic and monetary value that are part of vast University holdings, Maughan said.

The process involves creating a photographic record of the item; entering descriptive information into a central database; notifying insurance representatives if appropriate; evaluating security measures; and providing recommendations regarding safekeeping.

While the growth of Security Services has led to a wider menu of offerings, it has also required the growing staff to vacate the Wexner Center. To keep up with growing demand and accommodate a new control center, the unit moved in August 2000 to its current offices in Blankenship Hall.

For additional information about Security Services, call 292-7677 or visit the Web at www.ps.ohio-state.edu/security/.

Parties quiet down after suspension announcement

The first weekend in May passed peacefully after the two previous weekend disturbances associated with University-area parties prompted Ohio State officials to announce that hosts of out-of-control parties would be subject to judicial proceedings.

The University announced at a May 3 news conference that Ohio State students who host parties that become unruly or out of control will be immediately suspended from the University. William H. Hall, interim vice president for student affairs, said that further judicial proceedings could result in permanent dismissal from Ohio State.

Hall noted that the vast majority of Ohio State students are responsible and mature, and added, "Unfortunately, it is this disruptive few causing the problems we've experienced over the last few weeks."

Several initiatives had been put into place in April to prevent such activities from occurring again, including distributing Smart Party/responsible host kits, talking with party hosts, offering alcohol-free activities such as free barbecues, and notifying landlords of possible parties, Hall said. "Despite our best efforts, we once again had riots,"he said, referring to the last weekend in April.

In addition to holding party hosts accountable for the actions of their guests, Hall said, a significant number of undercover officers from the Ohio Liquor Control Board were to patrol the neighborhoods looking for liquor-control violations.

Student party hosts who charge money for beer at parties, serve underage drinkers, allow the parties to spill into lawns and streets, have unruly guests throwing bottles or other objects from the property, and have guests climbing on or attempting to overturn vehicles will be considered in violation of University regulations, Hall said.

Hall also expressed his support for the efforts of Mayor Michael Coleman and the Columbus Police in helping the University deal with the riotous behavior.

"This problem is damaging to not only the University's reputation, but that of the city as well. We are grateful for their commitment to increased enforcement and punishment, and for their continued support of University efforts to stop this behavior."

Hall said that, in addition to being subject to arrest and prosecution or civil liability, any student engaging in dangerous, destructive or riotous behavior or other activities that threaten health or safety also will be subject to the Ohio State judicial process under the Code of Student Conduct.

The University has taken a number of steps to ask appropriate groups for their support in trying to prevent further weekend disturbances. They include:

• President Brit Kirwan and Executive Vice President and Provost Edward J. Ray wrote a letter to faculty, asking them to consider taking a few moments of classroom time to discuss the situation with students and to encourage them to refrain from participating in the kinds of disturbances recently experienced.

• Parents received two letters -- one from Kirwan and the other signed by Coleman and City Council President Matt Habash -- to advise them of the situation and to encourage them to speak with their children about staying away from these dangerous and troublesome areas.

• Officials sent letters to area high school principals and Ohio college officials, asking them to discourage their students from coming to the campus area and alerting them to the dangers of these events.

• The University has asked campus-area landlords to help, and several have agreed. Among the suggestions the University offered landlords were asking them to share with their student renters the new Code of Student Conduct; remove flammable materials from porches, parking lots and building-adjacent areas; have dumpsters emptied on Friday and Saturday of each week; hire off-duty police officers for each weekend until the end of the quarter; and work with Columbus police to control the dangerous and illegal behavior in common areas. They have also been asked to encourage their tenants to voluntarily refrain from hosting large parties for the rest of the quarter.

• At the request of Coleman, Kroger, Big Bear and UDF agreed to sell only cans in their campus-area stores on the weekend. The Miller distributor talked with retailers about selling plastic bottles as well. And the Anheuser-Busch distributor offered radio time for the University to air public service announcements on the need for responsibility and a warning to those who break the law.

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