By Fatimah AlMustafa<\/p>\n\n\n\n
UNIVERSITY CITY\u2014 The American University\nof Sharjah\u2019s Security Office\u2019s mission is to ensure the campus is safe, and it\ndoes this largely by encouraging a sense of responsibility among students,\naccording to AUS administrators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a series of interviews, representatives\nof the main building outlined the university\u2019s efforts to protect and serve its\ncommunity, while at the same time trying to help create more disciplined young\npeople entering the workforce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Incentives,\nnot punishment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n AUS\u2019s security policies encourage good behavior\nrather than simply punish infringements, according to the campus\u2019s chief of\nprotocol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking in both Arabic and English, Saeed Al\nShamsi, whose office oversees the security department, noted that the parking\nfine system, for example, is meant to help \u201crehabilitate\u201d student drivers,\nrather than simply be punitive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parking fines \u201cstart from Dh50, which is the\nleast in the UAE,\u201d he noted. \u201cIf our aim was to punish students, we would\ncharge them at least Dh300.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n The point of this relatively lenient fine system\nis to guide students toward taking a more responsible and courteous approach\nregarding the rights and needs of others, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He acknowledged, however, that some\ninfringements carry stiff penalties. For example, according\nto Al Shamsi, the fine for parking in disabled spots is Dh300. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBy raising the fine for parking in handicap\nspots, we are teaching the student how to be disciplined, and at the same time,\nhow to respect other people\u2019s rights,\u201d Al Shamsi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Courtesy\nand comfort<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Where students may encounter the security\noffice on a daily basis is at the visitors\u2019 gates \u2013 where vehicle access\nstickers are scrutinized \u2013 and sometimes in the parking lots. Finding a space\nfor their car is often an ongoing battle for AUS students. With over 3200\nparking spaces, but about 4800 students, many commuters still complain about\nthe lack of parking spots near the academic area. This includes students who\nhave paid for parking stickers, but struggle to find available spaces and end\nup parking in a free lot, far away from their college.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Toward fixing this, Al Shamsi noted that\nthe security office has announced plans to build a covered walkway connecting\nthe free parking to the academic area. The goal, he said, is to make it more\nconvenient for the students to walk in a shaded area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe two problems students are suffering from\nin the free parking area are the weather and distance,\u201d Al Shamsi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He added that providing a covered walkway\nwill solve the problem. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe committee has submitted its final\nproposal to the higher management to be approved and have a budget assigned,\u201d\nAl Shamsi concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Parking\npriorities<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n He stressed, however, that the security\noffice continues to monitor the paid-parking areas for residence hall students\nwho leave their cars there. According to Al-Shamsi, the number of paid-parking\nspaces is limited to 1529, and only students who live off-campus can park their\ncars in that area. Those parking without authorization risk the aforementioned Dh50\nfine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPriority for paid-parking spaces is given\nto students living outside of the university residence halls. Students living\non-campus can either park at the dorms parking or free parking area,\u201d Al-Shamsi\nsaid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even though paid-parking spaces are\navailable to a limited number of students, some students still complain about\nthe lack of spots near the academic area. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe paid-parking zone is not a reserved\none,\u201d Al Shamsi noted. He added that if there is a lack of paid spaces\navailable, students will have to park in the free area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Respectful\nenvironment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n AUS\nofficials also stress that students should dress properly while on campus. In\npart this reflects the laws of Sharjah. But as Security Officer\nIshaq Almazam observed,\nit also helps to maintain the good image of the university<\/p>\n\n\n\n To that end, the university has banned tight-fitting clothes, revealing clothes, short skirts and other inappropriate outfits such as party wear from being worn by students. Almazam said that dress code policy is not only applied to women, but also to men, who are not allowed to wear gym shorts or tank tops while on campus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cStudent\ndress is not just a matter of taste, comfort, or convenience, but it must be\nsocially acceptable and not distracting,\u201d Almazam said speaking in Arabic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Almazam\nadded that violators will be sent to the Office of Judicial Affairs for\ndisciplinary actions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cUAE values\nare built on moral heritage and so students should respect dress codes, which\nis very important as it affects students\u2019 behavior and academic performance,\u201d\nAlmazam said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Security\ncameras<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Technology also plays a role in safety on\ncampus. In recent years, AUS has employed high-tech devices to monitor traffic\nand parking patterns in an effort to improve the flow of cars on campus. Al\nShamsi also noted AUS uses a network of CCTV cameras to provide a secure\nenvironment for students, staff and visitors. According to Al-Shamsi, the\nmonitoring system is a security tool designed to deter, document and reduce\ncrime. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are 399 cameras placed in public\nareas, inside and outside AUS buildings,\u201d Al-Shamsi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe faced numerous cases of theft\nincidents. In some cases, the thieves were identified using the footage of the\nsurveillance camera,\u201d Al-Shamsi said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He added, \u201cIf the thief was an AUS\nstudent, we normally report the case to the Office of Judicial Affairs.\nHowever, if he was an outsider, we report the case directly to the University\nCity police.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite the high number of cameras on\ncampus, they don\u2019t necessarily cover every angle of every building, as some\nstudents have learned after reporting thefts. Security Officer Syed Waqar Ahmed\nsaid the Security Department is planning to add more surveillance cameras\nacross the campus in the near future. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Students\nfighting<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Although it happens very rarely,\noccasionally students do get into fights on campus, Almazam said. AUS takes\nsuch incidents very seriously, he said, noting that participants will be sent\nto the Office of Judicial Affairs or, if injuries are involved, Sharjah Police.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For those sent to the judicial affairs\noffice, \u201cThe offender will face a fine starting from Dhs50,\u201d according to\nAlmazam. \u201cThe fine will be doubled each time the student gets involved in a\nfight.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n However, in some cases the university may\nopt to give counsel and advice instead of punishment, according to Al-Shamsi. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf it’s the student’s first time making\nthe mistake, and he apologized and showed remorse, in this case we give him\nadvice and guidance instead of penalizing him,\u201d Al-Shamsi said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Responsible\ngeneration<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n According to Al Shamshi, one of his department\u2019s\ngoals is to help create a more responsible generation that can discipline\nitself. This is part of an effort, he said, to help continue building a good\nimage of the university. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He said the security department spreads awareness\nthrough workshops, campaigns, emails, posters, and hand pamphlets. \u201cBefore we\nlaunch a campaign we normally coordinate with other departments, such as the\nOffice of Student Affairs,\u201d Al Shamsi said. One example he cited is the ongoing\nanti-smoking effort. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Aside from such projects, Al Shamsi stressed that\nthe university\u2019s priority is to provide 24-hour-a-day protection to its\nstudents and all members of the campus community. This in turn, he noted, is a\nkey element in the university\u2019s image. \u201cWhat attracts parents to AUS is not\nonly that it\u2019s academically strong, but it\u2019s also safe,\u201d Al Shamsi said. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Fatimah AlMustafa UNIVERSITY CITY\u2014 The American University of Sharjah\u2019s Security Office\u2019s mission is to ensure the campus is safe, and it does this largely by encouraging a sense of responsibility among students, according to AUS administrators. In a series of interviews, representatives of the main building outlined the university\u2019s efforts to protect and serve […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[17,21],"class_list":{"0":"post-32","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-campus-news","8":"tag-community","9":"tag-safety"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mcmmediahub.aus.edu\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}