U. of C. to expand security guard footprint
Chicago IL Aug 19 2021 The University of Chicago will expand its security guard presence and offer new transit options for students, staff and faculty in the neighborhood.
In an Aug. 16 announcement, U. of C. Provost Ka Yee Lee and Associate Vice President for Safety and Security Eric Heath wrote, “These new initiatives are intended to enhance and expand our security and transportation support to deter crime, increase safety, and further increase access to immediate assistance in the case of emergency.”
Most significantly, the school will expand its Safety Ambassador Program, which already places security officers with Allied Universal in some locations on campus.
Those officers will now move “on a trial basis” to other parts of Hyde Park, Kenwood and Woodlawn, including 53rd Street.
The officers will “patrol on foot and in vehicles, act as safety points of contact, and immediately contact the Department of Safety and Security Emergency Communications Center for additional support, resources, or dispatch of police in the case of an emergency.”
Transit options will also increase for members of the U. of C. community. The shuttle system will add a new route from campus to the Green and Red Line Garfield stations, as well as the Arts Incubator.
Students, meanwhile, will be able to take up to 10 free Lyft rides each month during the academic year. The rides will be restricted to Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. within the area covered by the school’s NightRide Shuttle system. (The shuttles roughly cover 48th Street to 60th Street and Drexel Boulevard to South Hyde Park Boulevard, as well as a small part of Woodlawn.)
Finally, the school will offer free home security inspections for members of the U. of C. community, and “is launching new websites and educational materials with recommendations for staying safe in a large urban environment.”
Lee and Heath said that more details will be shared about both the expanded security guard program and transportation options in the coming months.
hpherald.com
