The roller coaster trials of the Feminist Majority were grounded Thursday when representatives of the Feminist Majority and the Safety Advisory Committee met face to face with Keith James, director of Security and Gary Kreisen, a security officer.
Much to the surprise of the Feminist Majority representatives, Security currently maintains an escort service to locations on and off campus.
In order to improve the communication gap between security and the students on the escort issue, Feminist Majority representatives will be drafting a mailing with Security that will define those escort services that are currently available to the students and those that soon will be made available.
The origin of a communication gap between Security and the student body concerning the escort service was traced back to a campus-wide mailing last year that Kreisen said contained "statements that were misconstrued to mean we do not escort off campus."
Kreisen said the mailing was issued during a transition period between security directors and was vague, leaving people with the impression that security would stop all off campus escorts.
The Feminist Majority mobilized to replace the previously believed disabled escort service by providing their own design.
Kreisen said, however, that escort services on campus are intact but that the level of response is left up to the discretion of the shift supervisor on duty.
James and Kreisen expressed concern over the past abuse of the escort service. James stated that "in terms of resources, I would very much like to see the escorts used for safety." He urged students to please be prudent with the services that are provided.
Kreisen, who has been at Oberlin for 18 years, said that he has "seen the system abused terribly," and that some students "took it as a taxi service."
Walking escorts are available to students every night of the week, Kreisen and James reminded. Occasionally, however, a walking escort will arrive to a site and the caller will ask for a car instead. The decision to send an escort on foot or in a car is mainly dependent on convenience but is not intended as an escape from the cold for a student.
Kreisen added that only two officers are on duty at any time and when calls come in for escorts, the drive "ties up the security officer that could be used somewhere else."
Sara Selig, co-chair of The Feminist Majority was ardent in saying that the policy must be defined to the students more effectively.
A shuttle van is in the works as a pilot program, James said. This service will remain "as flexible as possible," he added. A route and schedule are being discussed and "the dean is ready to roll [with the service]."
The campus mailing issued by the Feminist Majority and Security will be sent after Thanksgiving. It will clarify the escort service and will also contain a suggestion slip for the future shuttle service. James encourages any input on the issue.
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