Department of Public Safety polos on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights are usually the opposite of what students are looking to put on, but not for me. As taboo as the attire is, I chose to do it — it’s my job. After reading the Sept. 15 article about DPS late night escorts, I found it riddled with numerous bad connotations about the escorting business. But I am here to plead my case about the actual walking escort program. I am a student marshal for DPS, and I am given the task of escorting whomever requests it from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. Sure, I stop taking calls at 11, but I have never before made anyone wait around at any location for longer than 15 or so minutes. When I receive a call to escort someone, I am always up and ready to go, and hustle myself over because exercise at work is an added bonus. Even if I have to burn my quads going up the stairs to the College of Law or experience altitude sickness climbing to Day, I will still try to get there in the quickest time possible. Most people don’t even know the marshal program exists, or are just reluctant to call because of preconceived DPS notions. Furthermore, students I’ve escorted were surprised to know I was actually their age and a student — be it one from the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, but I digress. So if you are some place around campus and need to go to another place around campus in the late hours of the evening, give the marshal program a try. It’s free, convenient and much better than walking alone on those starless Syracuse nights.

Plus it keeps me with something to do, so don’t let me down.

Brett Miller

Sophomore ESF environmental biology major