A student exchanged a counterfeit bill at the Akers Hall front desk. An unfamiliar, glazed-over face entered the Case Hall lobby after midnight. And, most recently, a student employee was nearly robbed outside of Munn Ice Arena.

These recent incidents happened to MSU student employees while on the clock or on their way to work, and several agencies are teaching university employees to be prepared for any problems they might encounter.

Mentors and night receptionists are taught to sharpen their senses to identify suspects or suspicious persons.

MSU police officers attend mentor training and give the students resources for just about every problem they'll encounter, MSU police Sgt. Florene McGlothian-Taylor said.

Officers do "controlled burns," so mentors can learn to identify the smell of marijuana.

They learn to report anything that looks like it could be a crime scene, how to avoid damaging evidence, and above all, to call the police when in doubt.

"They're taught to be the eyes and ears for the police," McGlothian-Taylor said of the sessions, which are individualized to address hall and complex differences.

Several weeks ago, counterfeit $20 bills were brought to residence hall front-desk receptionists. When receptionists found the bills, McGlothian-Taylor said, they started a phone tree to other parts of the complex to warn other employees and prevent future crimes.

In a Sunday incident involving an attempted robbery on Chestnut Road, a student on his way to work walked away from his attacker and never looked back.

Paul Goldblatt, director of Residence Life, emphasized that employees aren't taught self-defense or how to disarm suspects.

"We never say, 'Now we give you the skills to apprehend this person,'" Goldblatt said. "We focus on responding to the needs of residents, to give them knowledge of what they need for their jobs."

Common sense practices of calling 911 or police when there are any problems are also taught to faculty and staff, said Edita Herbstova, assistant director of the MSU Human Resources Development.

MSU police officers also are on hand for Civility in the Workplace, a session for supervisors and managers held by the MSU Human Resources Department.

"It's a program on how to deal with inappropriate workplace behaviors," Herbstova said. "Things can happen, extremely rarely, but every semester we address it."

To report on-campus crimes, call MSU police at (517) 355-2222.