The Guest Columnist piece “New security measures ineffective” (SN 1/19) showed a stereotypical view of the night receptionist where “the night guard is often just a student watching a movie.” I am a night receptionist, and I can tell you that not everyone just watches movies while at work. We are students, therefore we also have homework to do just like everyone else. Many of us do our homework while working because we already have to be awake from 11:30 p.m. to 7 a.m., and this is a good time to catch up on everything. Just like you, there are days we don’t have homework to do, so we are able to watch a movie while working, as long as it does not distract us from doing our job.
We sit at the front doors of each resident hall to scan your ID, check in your guests and make sure those people who are not supposed to get into the building are not able to. We are the ones that people come to when they’ve lost their key, need emergency care, need police help and for those insomniacs who just want someone to chat with at 4 a.m. Personally, I try to smile at, say hello to and ask how the residents are doing when they arrive back to their dorm. I feel like sometimes these simple gestures just make that person feel better.
I know that having to scan your ID to get up the stairs or up the elevator is a hassle — it has often deterred me from trying to visit my friends on campus — but it is for everyone’s safety. Yes, there are flaws in the system where someone could let a random stranger into those areas just because they follow them in, but that activity does not happen as much as it has in the past.
Mr. Joyce made a valid point mentioning that a person who has the intent to harm would more than likely not be intimidated by a student. However, with the night receptionist being at the door, there is at least someone who can hopefully stop them or contact authorities instead of people having no clue as to what is going on.
On behalf of all other night receptionists, I feel that before Mr. Joyce decided to make his opinion about the night receptionists, he should have talked with one of us when we were sitting at the front doors of Case, keeping the residents safe. Maybe he would see that we are doing our job and doing it the best we can with what we have.
Elizabeth Koroleski, history senior
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