Brittany Westerberg

A new residence hall program is creating jobs for students and changing the way front desks operate.

Residential Life began the Night Watch program this fall as a way to ease the responsibilities of night assistants. Mike Kervin, director of Residential Life, said that they “were spread too thin.”

Night Watch is similar to neighborhood watches that some towns put into effect to guard against possible problems. Students work in pairs to patrol an area of campus and, at any sign of trouble or problems, alert the proper authorities.

The night assistant program has been in place for more than 25 years, Kervin said. The director said having the night assistants at the desk the entire time while Night Watch workers patrol the halls and outside the dorms would be a more comprehensive program.

Students working in the program wear brightly colored shirts. Kervin said he wanted to get a “visual presence out there,” so if a student was out late at night and needed help, he or she would know who to ask.

Pairs of Night Watch students walk around different sections of campus during their shifts. They check the areas surrounding the residence halls and check the bathrooms, laundry rooms and stairwells within the buildings. If they find any problems, they notify the resident assistant from the floor or the resident assistant on duty.

“The hours kind of suck, but the pay is better than most on-campus jobs,” said Bethany Bleeker, a liberal arts and sciences sophomore.

From Sunday until Wednesday, the Night Watch students work from 11:30 p.m. until 2:30 a.m. On Thursday, they patrol until 3:30 a.m. On Fridays and Saturdays, shifts run from 11:30 p.m. until 5:30 a.m., according to the Residential Life Web site.

Front desk hours for the residence halls have changed as well. The front desks are open from 9 a.m. until midnight on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and from 9 a.m. until 3 a.m. on Thursdays and Fridays. On Saturdays, the front desks are open from noon until 3 a.m., and on Sundays from noon until midnight.

For more information or an application, visit http://studentaffairs.sdstate.edu/ResidentialLife/ and look at the part-time/student employment opportunities.

#1.884356:581807834.jpg:DeskHours02.jpg:Senior consumer affairs major Laura Jacobs answers the phone at Caldwell’s front desk Thursday night.:Erin Lester