Anonymous feedback on locking up offsites--October 2011
We asked: 1. What does lock-up entail, how long does it take, and how willing have you been to do it? 2. Have you had safety concerns? 3. Do you believe this task should be compensated? 4. Most importantly for our purposes, did you feel able to say no if you didn't want to do it?
These are responses from male, female, part time, and full time faculty. We received other responses from faculty that indicated they were not bothered by the lock up process. Those are not included as we are trying to resolve concerns of those who have them, not judge who has and who doesn’t have concerns. These comments will be brought to the college's Health and Safety Committee for discussion by rep Dave Ellis.
1. My safety concerns are about students when I to leave. For example, if some students are out in front after I have to lock up. I have talked with (site coordinator) about this and she said security is only for the parking lot. I would suggest that we broaden their contract to have them oversee students in front after the facility is closed. They also might be the ones to lock up the building as well.
2. Thank you for asking. No one has ever talked about this before, that I'm aware of.
I have had to lock up after evening classes in two different situations, at Morgan Hill site and for a computer lab in the campus portables across from the CDC. To close up Morgan Hill, I checked each classroom, set the alarm, and made sure the front door was locked. I had to open the building for Saturday classes at Morgan Hill site in the past, but not recently. In all cases at Morgan Hill I did not feel I could say no, because it was made clear to me that there was no security person to open and close the building. I set off the alarm a few times fumbling for the correct sequence of numbers within the time frame. In all cases, it was interesting to respond to the police officer's questions telling him what I was doing and why. I did inform my Dean and Lorraine when this happened. For the computer lab on campus, I was supposed to turn out the lights, set the alarm, and be sure the door was locked. Doing so was fine but never worked because neither of the alarm codes I was given were not correct. So, those evenings I contacted security and Stan locked up for me. We had an agreement that I would call him 5 minutes before leave the classroom and he would be there either before I locked the door and left or within a few minutes to alarm the room. I was fine with this situation, too. For this situation and at Morgan Hill, lock-up took less than 5 minutes and I never considered I should be compensated for it. Trouble occurred once at the campus portable classroom lab, and resulted in me feeling unsafe. Because I didn't have a working code (per above explanation), I entered the lab to get ready for class and set off the alarm. I didn't know the room was alarmed. The security person on duty (not Stan) did not respond to my three cell phone messages that I'd set off the alarm. Then, 15 minutes into class, someone from the alarm company in plain clothes (wore a polo shirt with alarm company logo) walked firmly into my classroom. This was a safety concern in a different way: someone entered my classroom in way meant to intimidate. While justifiable of course, it never the less could and should have been handled by our own security staff. I understand he didn't know who he would find in there, security not getting my phone message was the actual problem, and this event did interrupt instruction. I contacted Ana Hippol about this event. The security person talked with me after my next class session, to say that he had trouble with the security cell phone's sim card and was sorry about the incident. Frankly, I was uncomfortable from then on because I could not fully trust that a call to the security cell phone would be answered. I have always been uncomfortable with the fact there there is one campus security person on duty in the evening. It is overall not a smart decision. If this person is busy with one event, there is no one else to respond or handle other situations. I've also been uncomfortable with the fact that at scheduled times no one is at the front desk at Morgan Hill.I have always wondered why, when we have a police academy, that an officer in training couldn't be the second one on campus duty and someone to sit desk in the evenings at Morgan Hill. This is a possibility because at other Santa Clara County community college campuses where I teach there are security in training folks (as identified on their uniform) visible and working on campus. Maybe there could be an internship or service learning program, with perhaps little to no financial cost to Gavilan.
3. Several years ago, since I was the only F/T instructors, they wanted me
to stay around and lock up after everyone else was done teaching.I stopped agreeing to that and now the last instructor, f/t or p/t locks up. Different instructors finish at different times, and since I was taking care of a computer lab, I was free to go when the last student leaves, but if I had to do the final building lock up, then I could not leave with my class. if the instructor wants to do a good job, there is some effort on their part.
I am still doing lock up one night a week. What I try to do, is lock the front door 15 minutes before I plan to leave to stop people from coming into the building.
But still anyone can just wait until someone comes out, and then go in. I also try to check the other two doors, to make sure those side doors and closed and latched.
I have locked up a few times, and found someone in the bathroom or elsewhere in the building after I have locked up. There have been problems in the past, like the alarm will not set, or a door will not latch, and we have NO one to call or get any help. So after trying, all we can do is just leave. A check list telling us what to do, like the above items and exactly what to do if we can not secure the building would be helpful. Safety is a small concern, since it is very dark when leaving, so I am always careful when going to my car.
4. At times it is uncomfortable because some students are still waiting for their ride, and they need to be asked to wait outside. Lighting outside is generally good.
5. I would prefer to have the ability to say "No" to any lock-up task. I don't really think an instructor should be charged with this responsibility. I assume that maintenance personnel are on site to clean up and lock up at the end of the day. Having said that, in times of budgetary constraints, it is practical for instructors to help safeguard equipment, etc by assisting with the lock-up process. In addition, if instructors have keys, they have the ability to open their classrooms in the case that the regular maintenance person is sick and the classroom is not opened before the class start time.
6. I think it should be a choice as it is a big responsibility
7. I DO have a few comments about this topic! When I taught nights in Hollister I would find myself completely alone in an open building late at night. I was usually the only teacher who actually taught the full three hours. Students did not want to wait for me to lock up so I was on my own. I felt very vulnerable. I had to lock all of the doors, secure the equipment, turn out lights, and lock the main door. The back door to the restroom was left open at all times. It also had a door to the alley where the homeless would hang out to use the facilities. I could not lock that door until students had left. Then I had to make sure the college was empty of people before I locked the main door. This was VERY dangerous as I did not know who or what would meet me during my lowly search.After locking the main door I would then find my way in the dark up a staircase through a dark parking garage and finally to my car. After nervously loading my supplies, I could finally lock my car doors and feel somewhat secure. Rarely did I see any officer or security present. This is an important issue to raise.
8. I have to lock up most nights @ (offsite) since I've been working for Gavilan-+5 years? I teach 2 nights a week, Monday/Tuesday and Friday nights. It's not too bad; it doesn't take much time, but it is creepy down there all by myself.Yes, locking up feels creepy and I often lock all the doors while I make the rounds because I don't won't any creepy guys wandering in while I'm somewhere locking up-also it's really dark when I turn off all the lights and no security anywhere around. I don't know about getting compensated, haven't thought about it. No, can't say no.
9. I teach night classes in Hollister, and I'd like to reactivate the buzzer that rings when the door opens, so I know somebody opened the door (to enter or leave). It used to buzz, but no longer does. Maybe it can be restricted to after 5 pm or 6 pm.
10. I don't appreciate the way they characterize this - frightened faculty. I am concerned about my safety and that of my colleagues and students. Using the word frightened makes me sound like a hysterical woman. I made known very personal aspects of my situation simply to illustrate that this could be a very serious issue. A corollary issue is that this is NOT MY JOB. I am not paid to close up a building (nor do I want to be). And I am being required to do at risk to my own safety.
11. I work (at offsite) from 11am - 7pm every once a week. I don't have concerns for myself but I have a comment regarding classrooms. Last Wednesday, a teacher who teaches in the evening could not get into his classroom. It was 5:30pm and there was no one at the front desk to help him so he asked me if I had a key but I don't. It just so happened that another instructor was walking by had a key and she let him in the classroom.I have a concern because there was no one to contact at the time and what if there was an emergency, who do we contact?
12. First, when I was approached this semester (for the first time) about locking up, it was assumed from the outset that I would do it. I was not asked; I was told, though pleasantly, that I would do this task.Second, no one has discussed compensation. If this task is not in my contract, then it is an additional task that should be compensated by the college. Third, my training was about setting the alarm and nothing else. I've locked up at night in other jobs before, so I had some ideas about turning off lights and making sure the building is clear of people, but those aspects were not discussed with me. Fourth, it feels a bit eerie being in the building alone at 9:30 p.m. and I can't say I'm thrilled with walking through a fair amount of darkness to the parking lot. In short, this needs some discussion at the very least. Doubtless this arrangement saves the college the expense of having some other employee come to lock up, but I'm not willing to be taken for granted to make that happen. And honestly, it does not seem appropriate to me to for the college to assume that I will take on an extra duty without compensation.