The Art Institute of Las Vegas Review: Guards or Gophers

When you walk in to the front doors of The Art Institute of Las Vegas, there is a security desk with a security guard.  S/He is in charge of checking the ID's of students and faculty, making sure guests sign in, and watching the multitude of security cameras throughout the school.  However, this is not all they do.

Here are a few other tasks I have seen the security guards perform:

1.  Thermostat Controller.  All the rooms' thermostats are locked.  The only person who can access the thermostat is the security guard.  To get the thermostat changed, we had to get permission from the instructor.  If the instructor didn't want it changed, it didn't get changed.

2.  Table Setter-Upper.  Whenever there is an event that requires the movement of tables or any other items needed for the event, the security guard plays the role of gopher. 

3.  Provide Company.  Whenever some instructors or other faculty go on break or just happen to be passing the front desk, the security guard becomes a temporary friend that gives company to faculty and staff.  Security is then lowered for the school.

4.  Housing Transportation Driver.  After locking up the school when the school closes down, the security guard drives the housing shuttle to the housing complex.

These other tasks keep the security guard away from his or her main job (save being a driver).  It was just a few quarters ago that another security guard was added in to the second building.  Before that security guard was there, the second building had no one overseeing it.  I don't know how that guard performs his/her job effectively - s/he isn't in place to see everyone who enters/exits...unless you count looking at the backs people walking in.

Now, I know The Art Institutes and the Education Management Corporation have their shares of financial troubles.  Unfortunately, their security seems to take second wind to a few thousand dollars. 

Hiring a student worker to do the small tasks will free the security guard to be more effective at his/her most important function. 

However, I do notice that with most large corporations in their cost cutting efforts don't have enough personnel allow employees to free up their time to do their primary jobs.  Perhaps there is more the student worker could do throughout the day, or even be a gopher for instructors who aren't prepared for their classes.

It would be minimum wage, of course, and it can't be more than 20 hours a week for some reason.  The max the student could make would be $7920 before taxes if the student worked all twenty hours each week the entire year.  That is just hundreds more than the tuition of one student taking five classes in one quarter.  Yet, the position could make things easier and safer for everyone.

I know this is just me talking from the outside in, but many of my views differ from the school's views.  I'm the one who hasn't been in the education field.

List of all the posts I have about my experiences at AILV