tl20021024-000 "Baltimore's #1 College Paper - Published Twice-Weekly - www.thetowerlight.com Thursday, 10/24/02 TU student wins tournament spot 5 Shots given to help prevent flu 5 Keplinger opens NYC art exhibit 15 Poor acting hurts new 'Charlie' film 16 Departments News 5 Nation/Blotter 8 Campus Briefs 10 Arts 15 In A Theater Near You 16 Entertainment Brie 17 High Road 18 Sports 24 Punt, Pass & Pick 22 In This Corner 24 Classifieds 19 Opinion 2 Safety escorts work the streets Lisa Jahnsan/Tha Towerlight Towson's Safewalk program allows student escorts to walk other students along with faculty and staff to various on-campus locations. Program Manager Nicki Doelle (left) walks on a recent evening with senior Jonathan Grzeika and freshman elementary education major Natalie Woods. Wednesday's 'Take Back the Night' featured speakers, safety walk and crime discussion Jessica Rinne The Towerlight Outside the Media Center, cam-pus is quiet on a recent Tuesday night. In the distance, the lights of Burdick Field blaze through the darkness for those students brave enough to venture into the .night. They throw Frisbees and kick soccer balls, but from here the sound is muffled and mixes with that of dis-tant traffic. Most students have decided to shy away from the sudden chill that announces fall has finally arrived, choosing instead to stay in their dorm rooms. In the darker areas at the center of campus, the only sound is that of footsteps, two sets, beating steadily against the sidewalk. They move toward the center of campus under the Lecture Hall. They circle around the University Union around 8 p.m., past Burdick Field and up the hill between Burdick Hall and Lida Lee Tall. Suddenly, two quick beeps fol-lowed by static cut the through the quiet. ""Dispatch to walkers."" ""Go ahead."" ""Ten-twenty-five, person at the Media Center?"" ""Ten-four. Sorry, we forgot to call that in."" ""No problem."" Nicki Doelle slants a look at Jake Morgan, her walking partner for the evening, but says nothing. Doelle and Morgan are two of the 21 students who serve as part of Towson's Student Escort Service. Wednesday night from 7-9 p.m. in the University Union's Potomac Lounge, the SGA sponsored Take Back the Night, a program that fea-tured speakers and a safety walk It was designed to give TU com-munity members the chance to talk about campus safety and ways to improve safety at Towson. The Student Escort Service is one suggestion that took hold last year and is now in force every day after dark during the semester. Each escort has three jobs, Doelle explained. They serve as walkers, drivers and dispatchers for the Towson University Police Department. Walkers escort students by foot from one location on-campus to another, go through the academic buildings to check the office doors and classrooms, and act as an extra set of eyes and ears for the police department. Ride-van operators use 15-pas-senger vans and smaller minivans to serve a similar purpose, getting stu-dents from one part of campus to another safely. Back at the escort base, the dis-patcher's job is to take calls from the Student Escort Service line, (410) 704-SAFE, and send the walk-ing escorts and ride-van operators where the need to go. Students hired as escorts rotate between these three jobs. Tonight, Doelle and Morgan are walking. It's a slow night. When it starts to See ESCORT, page 11 Today High 50 Low 40 Friday High 52 Low 48 Saturday High 57 Low 46 Sunday High 61 Low 45 Monday High 59 Low 47 "
