• ro ml Patrolling the streel5, senior Andrew Moss drives the Public Safety's new Trailblazer Oct. 19. New vehicles were purchased to a llow officers to transport more students a t one time . -Russell Ke(k I'.t: !people t ec Public Safety ensures HU protection edication of the T hornton Ed ucation Center, construction o n (he Heritage In n and the fi rst ever universi ty-pro– duced performance of "Beauty and the Beast" were not the only changes seen on Harding's campus this fall. Returning students may have noticed that Harding Public Safety had replaced the Ford Crown Victorias that students had previously seen, with two new Chevrolets. The Crown Victorias had accumulated many miles over their years of service and Public Safety said the COSt to upkeep the vehicles was becoming increasingly expensive, so they were replaced with an Impala and a Trailblazer. Many returni ng students said (hey noticed the upgrade of vehicles right away. "When I first saw [the new vehicles] I was like, 'Oh my goodness, they definitely upgraded,'" senior Becky Tankersley said . "It's a lot different from the bikes we used to see patrolling around." Not only were the vehicles new, but so was the name they wore. The department name was changed from Campus Security to H arding Public Safety this fall. Public Safety officials said the name was changed to reAect the department's main goal, which was ro provide an environment in which the H arding com– munity felt safe. Harding Public Safety said officets did not want students ro continue to associate a uniformed safety officer wi th the fear ofgetting a parking ticket, so they created a new division called Parking Setvices whose job it was to issue tickets. "We wanted to make sure that when people see the uniform, they know that the officer's primary role is to make people safe," Chief of Public Safety Craig Russell said. The full-time patking division was put under the management of Barry Bendey, and was located in the Ezell building. Uniformed officers were no longer responsible for issuing parking violations. The new parking team wore khaki pants and black polo shins to maintain distinction between themselves and the Public Safety officers. Another way Harding Public Safety kept students safe on campus was by reinstating a program where students in golfcarts drove around campus after dark giving rides to other students to make sure students arrived at their destinations safely. Many students said they liked the idea ofgolfcarts patrolling the campus for added safety. "I think golfcans aregood because they can respond to different areas that cars can't get to," senior Nathan Collier said. "I like that a lat." Ma ny students said they were grateful for the added safety. "llove the (golfcans] because there have been several times when Shores parking lot has been completely full, and I'll have topark far away," senior Rebecca DeRamus said. "It's nice [to have a ridel; r love it." The program was instituted for the first time in October 2004, after student officer senior Andrew Moss had the idea. From its beginning in October through May 2005, Public Safety said thar more than 14,000 free rides across campus had been given to Harding students. -Breanna WoodandJessie Thompson
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