There are few things more important to Penn students (and their parents) than safety. And the University, cognizant of this, employs one of the biggest private security forces in the state.
Well, kind of.
The University does directly employ a police force, but Penn outsources many of its non-police security jobs to AlliedBarton Security. As a result, it can avoid responsibility when problems arise with the guards, as has been the case recently.
Last year, five Penn security guards were transferred to other locations after attempting to get President Amy Gutmann's support for the formation of a guard union. More recently, The Daily Pennsylvanian learned that roll call for bike patrol guards were being conducted in a dreary, rat-infested garage.
The five guards were eventually offered their old positions back - though some had already quit - and the bike patrol guards now work out of the old CVS. Nonetheless, Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli has told the DP that any University association with the unionization effort would be "inappropriate."
It's troubling to see the University take such a hands-off approach to the people who help keep its students, staff, faculty and visitors safe.
A satisfied, happy staff is essential to the success of the entire University, and its security staff is no different. If security guards want to unionize, they should not be punished for trying - and they deserve Penn's support. University officials should realize and publicly acknowledge that security guards are an essential part of their staff, whether or not their salaries are directly paid by an outside company.
The University may be able to outsource its security work, but it can't outsource responsibility.
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