Imagine this: A student who was just assaulted walks into the lower level of Brotz seeking help but finds the Campus Safety office dark, empty and locked.  

“Now just think if that happened to you, and you came over here crying and upset, and you get here and the lights are off and the doors shut and locked — that would be a pretty shitty feeling,” Jason Hraban, Lakeland’s Director for Campus Safety, said. 

That’s one of the reasons Hraban started a Campus Safety student worker program. 

At the beginning of the Fall 2024 Semester, Hraban hired the first student worker. A few months later, Markese Collins joined the Campus Safety team.  

Collins, a junior majoring in sports management with an emphasis in coaching, heard about the student worker position from a football teammate.  

Collins and the other student workers keep an eye on the camera systems, help the Campus Safety team with tasks as needed and, perhaps most importantly, be present so that someone’s always there and no student has to show up to an empty office. 

“It might only be a big deal once or twice in my career here, but that once or twice is worth keeping people here in the office,” Hraban said.  

Hraban started advocating for student worker positions after he arrived in 2023. Around a year later, his efforts came to fruition. Now, Campus Safety has eight to ten student workers.  

Not only does the student worker position ensure that someone is in the office at all times, but it also gives students valuable experience. 

Collins hopes to either continue playing football after college or be a college football coach. “The communication skills I’m developing and the relationships I’m building now will be valuable assets in my future career,” Collins said.

Hraban said, “When Kese [Collins] goes pro, maybe he can remember me.” 

Collins said his favorite part of the job is “creating bonds with others.”  

“This guy here [Hraban] is like a role model to me. Like, anything I needed to talk to him about, like — anything — I can come to him. Anything I needed help with, I can come to him.”  

Hraban said of Collins, “He’s like my son. I always take care of Kese. We’re super proud to have him working here. He’s how you’d want a student worker to act when they’re not here. Shows excellent character and that is so important. Anyone can act decent when they’re here, but, like, he acts decent all the time, you know, he has good character, good sense, and a good head on his shoulders. That’s the kind of worker we want.” 

Some of the characteristics Hraban sees in Collins and looks for in potential student workers are communication, honesty, dependability and confidentiality. 

As a student-athlete, Collins said, “I manage both football and my Campus Safety responsibilities through open and consistent communication.” 

Hraban recalled when Collins texted him one morning with a question about work. “He had the initiative to ask.” Hraban said that’s what he wants to see in future student workers. “You’re not doing a ton of stuff, but the stuff that you do here is super important.”  

Hraban also describes Collins as dependable. “I know when Kese is here, Kese is going to be here,” Hraban said. “He’s not leaving early. He’s not going to sleep in the corner.” 

Since having the office open at all hours is essential, Hraban stresses the importance of student workers’ attendance and communication. 

“If I could have eight Keses, I wouldn’t have to worry about it, ever.”  

Hraban also emphasizes the weight of confidentiality for Campus Safety student workers. “I just assume that it’s kind of an unwritten rule, an expectation: You need to keep anything you might hear confidential, understanding that what you hear in Campus Safety stays in here, and I never worry about that, ever.”  

Collins exemplifies the skills of communication, honesty, dependability and confidentiality. 

For students who find that these characteristics describe them, Campus Safety might have a job available. Campus Safety doesn’t post positions on Handshake, students should simply walk into the office to talk to Hraban or Stephanie Kersten, Assistant Director for Campus Safety. 

Hraban said that Campus Safety’s relationship with students — both student workers and students in general — is “super important.”  

“When I got here, people didn’t really bond with Campus Safety, and that was one of the biggest things I needed to change, was to make sure that students know that we’re not here to get anyone in trouble,” Hraban said. 

Campus Safety is the only on-campus resource that’s open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, all year long, including holidays. This allows them to be there for students, even if it’s midnight on Christmas. The Campus Safety staff want students to be able to go to them with any concerns, whether it’s a dead car battery, a question about a parking ticket, a ride in a golf cart after an injury or something more serious and urgent. 

The services Campus Safety offers include: 

• Vehicle lockouts 
• Vehicle jump start 
• Safe ride/walk program
• Engraving personal items 
• Room or building lockouts (Contact RA, then Hall Director. If they don’t respond, call Campus Safety.) 
• Firearms and bow storage 
• Student/staff driving certification 
• Shredding service for personal documents 

In case of emergencies, people can call Campus Safety in addition to 911. Staff can arrive within a couple of minutes and provide support while waiting for other emergency services. 

While keeping the Lakeland community safe, they encourage students to learn without fear and explore who they want to be.  

“Lakeland is good about letting individuals be who they want to be,” Hraban said. “I’m proud to be part of that!” 

“I think the most important thing staff and students need to know is we’re here to just to make sure that there’s a safe and positive environment to learn in, not only academics, but also life skills,” Hraban said. “We don’t lurk in the bushes trying to get people in trouble… We genuinely want students and staff to succeed here at Lakeland!”