Playing with Fire: How CSOs Keep Our Campus Safe
Early in the morning on September 6, three residents were cooking in the shared Chittick kitchen when they heard something outside their dorm. The students “took turns going up the half-flight of stairs and peeking at what was happening,” said witness Dylan Truncellito ‘30. As they looked outside the windows they saw three older men, who were “obviously drunk,” talking loudly outside their dorm. The older men then started knocking on the windows and “getting more rowdy.” The students texted the CSOs. Before these students could get a response, they “saw a flash of light coming from upstairs,” went to investigate it and witnessed the three men running away from the scene and an alcohol fire starting barely a foot from their window.
Within eight minutes after the call, the CSOs arrived at Chittick. According to the residents, the fire had already fizzled out by the time the CSOs got to Chittick. The CSOs ensured the well-being of the students, then left to survey the surrounding area. At the time of writing, CSOs were not able to confirm the details of the removal of the arsonists from the campus. The students were safe within the building and the men didn’t attack them, but this incident unsettled the students nonetheless. “[It was] definitely a bit of a scary night afterwards,” said Truncellito.
Responding to incidents which need immediate action, like this fire outside Chittick, is a primary responsibility of CSOs, but it takes up only a part of their work. Operating 24/7 out of 28 West just down the path from the Grove, CSOs function as a constant, multi-faceted presence on campus. Their day-to-day work spans from patrolling the campus, administering ID card replacements, managing the lost and found, providing vehicle jump starts, and handling the universally humbling experience of getting locked out of your dorm in your PJ’s at 2am, to name a few. Additionally, they handle Narcan distribution and respond to overdose calls. After dark, students can call CSOs to request a safety escort or vehicle transport, although both services depend on staffing and the number of active calls. For late-night transportation, Reed also operates the Night Bus from Eliot Circle: 10 pm to 2 am Sunday through Thursday and 10 pm to 12 am on Fridays and Saturdays. The bus aims to arrive every 30 minutes during service hours, though students are encouraged to plan ahead rather than treat it as guaranteed transportation.
Reed’s emergency response system is organized into multiple tiers, allowing the college to distinguish between a contained incident, a more serious event requiring wider coordination, and a major emergency that could disrupt campus operations. Depending on the severity of the situation, Community Safety may handle the initial response, coordinate with medical responders and/or Portland Police, and communicate with campus officials. Community Safety serves both the daily aspect of students and as a first point of contact for emergency situations.
Ultimately, while campus safety depends heavily on active community participation and proactive hazard reporting, the CSOs remain central in connecting daily campus logistics with institutional crisis management. Whether they are letting a forgetful freshman back into their dorm or catching arsonists, CSOs are a vital and useful resource on campus.