Cal dorms are about to get much safer

Empty security monitor desk in the South Side Units (August 2023)

Cal students and their parents have been concerned for a long time at how easy it is for intruders to enter student residence halls. Every month, we read about dangerous individuals entering the dorms and committing crimes against the students who live there.

That’s all about to change.

The reason? The university has hired around 115 new student security monitors (“safety ambassadors”) who will provide 100% night shift coverage in all residence halls 🔥

At the start of this academic year (‘23-’24), Cal only had 35 safety ambassadors. This was far short of the number required to staff the base of each residence hall at night. Due in part to parents expressing their concerns for their students’ safety, the administration prioritized hiring a full complement of safety ambassadors to provide night coverage at dorm entryways.

As of today, the administration has reached its full coverage goal of 150 security ambassadors, with another 30 as backup. As a result we’ve gone from 35 SA’s a month ago to about 100 on duty today. The remainder are at different stages of onboarding, and the administration expects to have full security ambassador coverage in the dorms by the third week of October 2023.

SafeBears applauds the university for its efforts to protect students living in the residence halls. We also want to express our thanks to the many parents who have emailed members of the administration to express their concerns about the lack of safety in the residence halls. Your collective voices made an impact.

Cal students living in the residence halls are getting much safer thanks to you 💛