Effective on July 1, Baker has outsourced its public safety department to NMS Security, a division of NANA Management Services based out of Alaska. The officers will patrol campus in blue police-style uniforms. Baker administrators hope the more visible presence of uniformed security will improve the overall safety of the campus.

“I think we can improve our safety by having them more recognizable on campus,” Director of University Budget & Facilities Darla Prather said. “Being able to have the staff trained and professional will be a big asset to our university.”

Prather said Baker was forced to explore its options when two members of the public safety staff were dismissed from their jobs, although she did not disclose the reasons for the dismissals. She said the university then took a closer look at its security services and noted where changes could be made. With more than one vacancy, outsourcing felt like a better idea.

“We wanted to see how we could take what we already have and make it better,” Prather said. “The only way to do that was to outsource to a company equipped with training procedures and experience.”

Dean of Students Cassy Bailey said she recognizes that this may seem like a trend at Baker since it follows outsourcing in the areas of health services and campus dining. And although she agrees that it is nice for a small campus to stay local and less corporate, the choice to outsource was obvious from the beginning.

“Outsourcing can be relieving for a university. There are financial bonuses for the university because it doesn’t have to find the money for things such as training, something that our old budget didn’t incorporate,” Bailey said. “It also takes away liability from the university and gives it to the company.”

The public safety office will still be located in Parmenter Hall, but there has been some shuffling of responsibilities. The information technology department has assumed all duties concerning ID card access, while the physical plant will be in charge of issuing keys to campus buildings.

Security Manager James Forbus hopes for a smooth transition.

“As we go, we might make a few changes based on events, but Baldwin City seems pretty safe,” Forbus said. “We don’t have any changes in mind specifically. Most of what we are doing now involves internal changes.”

The main change to the campus will be the visibility of the officers. Although they will be wearing uniforms, Forbus wants to assure students that his officers are unarmed and “just here to help.”

“Our goal is to provide what we can and become an integrated part of this university,” Forbus said. “So integrated, in fact, that people don’t even realize we’re a different company.”