Foot Patrol co-ordinators have launched a new initiative called the Guardian Program to provide a safety presence for any student event, according to the group’s administrative co-ordinator, Craig Handy.
Guardians will act as a unit to provide a safety presence for any student, club, society, and faculty member, Handy said. They provide crowd control, accessibility support, organize safe-walks at the end of the event, and can give a presentation on safety.
“Providing unique support for student safety needs is an important way to make the Carleton community stronger and a much more inclusive place,” Handy said. “Safety is everyone’s business.”
Guardian Program volunteers will not physically intervene, however Handy said they are considered first responders in case of any incidents.
This won’t create a conflict of interest between Foot Patrol and campus safety, according to Mark Hargreaves, campus safety’s community liaison, as the two are “different services.”
“It is important to remember that the Guardian Program does not replace security services,” he said. “They are not security personnel.”
While campus safety does walks around campus, Handy said Foot Patrol is a unique service in that they will walk off campus.
Though the Guardian Program and Foot Patrol operate out of the same office and are run by the same co-ordinators, Handy said they are two different services. Both are run and funded through the Carleton University Students’ Association (CUSA).
The Foot Patrol program provides safe walks home for students on campus and those within a 30-minute distance from campus.
“Guardian volunteers are Foot Patrol volunteers who have been selected because they have shown strong dedication, great leadership, effective knowledge of safety, and have proven they are very responsible,” Handy said.
Guardian volunteers have been receiving more specialized training and will continue to get training to keep them up to date with current safety measures, according to Handy.
New vests have been ordered to distinguish Guardian volunteers from Foot Patrol volunteers and they will have an emergency response bag as well.
Members of the Guardian Program have provided their services at various events including Capital Hoops, the CUSA executive debate, and the transferring of CUSA election ballot boxes.
