Welcome to “Safety Saturdays,” a weekly segment that covers all things safety related at SCAD Savannah.
With all the changes happening at SCAD every year let alone every day it can difficult to keep track of all of the changes and stay in the know. But when your job is to protect and serve the Savannah College of Art & Design, knowing the community you are serving should be your first priority. Or at least our new Head of Security here at the Savannah campus, Charles Hall, believes so.
“If you are for example assigned to a residential building and the first time you meet any student is when they’re in trouble, that’s typically not what we are wanting,” explained Hall.
“We’ve been stressing with Allied Barton, you’ve got to get to know the students, they’ve got to know you,” remarked Executive Director of Campus Security & Safety, John Buckovich.
“Before they call us,” added Hall.
Hall was previously working as a precinct commander at the Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police Department. He had been working at the police department for 26 years but has also done a lot of work with SCAD security over the past 1o years.
“One of the reasons that Charles was very attracted to us was his connection to Savannah Metro Police. He’s got a lot of contacts,” said Buckovich.
In just the week that Hall has been with SCAD he has already begun work on developing a SCAD specific training regimen for security officers in an attempt to acclimatize officers to working at the SCAD Savannah campus.
“It’s a unique security challenge in that, SCAD is Savannah and Savannah is SCAD,” said Hall.
“Not only do I have to know security work, I have to know SCAD security expectations and then I have to know a little bit about Savannah,” he added.
When asked what he has seen to be a flaw in the Safety & Security here at SCAD Savannah, Hall responded saying that, “there is a perception that security at SCAD is not as effective as it can be,” adding that it “just provides an opportunity for growth.”
Hall emphasized the importance of their being a relationship between students and security. His hopes being that with the standardized, SCAD Savannah specific training regimen he is implementing, the officers will take time to get to know students and students will know the officers and therefore feel more protected.
“We want them to be a resource and asset to all of the individuals that come in that building not just a person who’s checking an ID,” said Hall.
In an attempt to create a bridge between students and security officers SCAD security is hosting a weekly open house. The open house will take place every Friday from now until the end of spring quarter. They will take place from 12 p.m. – 5 p.m. at the security center on Bull Street, located right in between Poetter Hall and Norris Hall.
Check in every Saturday for an update on all things safety related. For more information on SCAD Safety & Security, contact John Buckovich at jbuckovi@scad.edu or Charles Hall at chall@scad.edu.
Written by Asli Shebe.
Asli Shebe is a senior writing major from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She began working for District in 2014 as a staff writer, then copy editor, A&E editor, Chief Assignment editor and finally, Editor-in-Chief in 2017. Asli currently holds the record for obtaining the most job titles during her time at District. When she’s not writing for District you can find her biking around the Historic District of Savannah at odd hours of the day.
