Safety and security search for Asst. Director started

The Department of Safety and Security, already altered this year with a new director and name, will undergo more changes when an assistant director joins its ranks by the end of the semester.

Director of Safety and Security Keith James, who came to Oberlin last July, said he hopes to hire an assistant director soon after Spring Break. The department has not had an assistant director in the past.

"I need someone in here as of yesterday," James said. The assistant director will primarily be responsible for the day-to-day functioning of the department, according to James.

James said having an assistant director to help supervise and support the department's work will allow him to assess the department as a whole and how it fits into the Oberlin community.

According to James, more than 50 applications have been received already, and more are expected before the deadline today.

According to Charlene Cole-Newkirk, dean of student life and services, the position was created during the restructuring of Student Life and Services that accompanied last year's dramatic budget cuts. She said that the position was created before James arrived, but no one was hired because James needed time to assess the needs of the department before formulating a job description.

The assistant director will be responsible for coordinating parking enforcement, supervising and scheduling both officers and supervisors and overseeing crime prevention programming, among other things. James also named staff training, the annual review and working with James on long-range planning goals as responsibilities of the new assistant director.

James says he hopes the hiring process goes quickly and hopes to make a decision by the end of March. He will have finalized the make-up of the search committee by the end of this week and the committee will then begin meeting to discuss applications. He plans to include students on the search committee.

The job description asks for candidates with a bachelors degree in law enforcement and experience in the field, preferably on a college campus.James said the two qualifications most important to him are that the candidate have an understanding of working in a college environment and that they are open to a diverse community.

James said that he hopes to involve students throughout the selection process. When the final candidates visit campus James said he hope to have a lunch where the candidates meet with students at dining halls.