Security Services updated its uniforms and vehicles this past summer as part of a broader effort to refresh its image and align more closely with University branding.
The update was officially approved by Director of Security, Dr. David Ferber. “Both Greg Lynch and I wanted to move away from black polos in favor of ones that reflect our university colors. We collaborated with the University’s marketing department to choose an approved color and provider,” he said.
According to Assistant Director of Security Greg Lynch, the updates to the uniforms were based on the security guards’ preferences. “Plus, since it was a new budget year and we had been recycling the same black polo shirts for several years, we were going to need to buy new uniforms anyway — so it felt like the right time to have that conversation,” he said. In addition, he explained how changing the color would be more practical because black absorbs heat. “It’s warm wearing all black out there, and that’s come up in the past,” he said.
Since this change involved altering the uniforms themselves, it triggered a more extensive review. Lynch described the approval procedure in more detail: “Uniforms didn’t need to be signed off at that level unless we were changing them, in which case, they did. Everything had to align with the University’s Department of Communications to ensure they approved of the image we were presenting,” he said.
Security Services student employee Chiara Garcia (‘25) joked, “I do think that the black-on-black was a little more badass, a little more intimidating if I was up to no good on campus.” She added that, although the uniforms for the student employees didn’t change, they received new jackets. “The only thing that changed for me was the new yellow jackets. At first, I hated them, but the color actually looks really good on me.”
Asher Wolf (‘25) thinks the changes send the right message. “I think the concept was that the black-on-black was too ‘police-vibes,’ which is not at all what we do. Especially given some of the events in the last few years, Security needs a bit of an image revamp.” He also expressed that the new uniforms might increase trust in student Security Services employees. “In my position as a student officer, I’d show up to a call, and people would want to wait until Security got here. So I think it was to make the new uniforms more cohesive across the officers and the students.”
Security Services also updated its vehicle fleet. Two vehicles patrol the campus alongside the golf cart; the original patrol van has been replaced by a Ford Escape, with the original security pickup truck still in circulation. “The vehicles, there are actually only two, and a van is still sitting out there, but it hasn’t run in some time. It’s been retired and has thousands of miles on it, so we were approved several months ago to get a newer vehicle,” Lynch explained.
Regarding the vehicles, Ferber added, “On the technical side of the new patrol vehicle, I knew I needed something that could withstand the wear and tear of 24-hour use, while also providing comfort for both our Campus Safety Officers and community members who may need an escort across campus. Lastly, I wanted to use a hybrid to help lessen our carbon footprint.”
Wolf agreed that this is an upgrade. “The new vehicle is pretty cool because we’re moving towards electric vehicles,” he said. “It’s a great step in the right direction, especially because security vehicles have to be consistently moving around; the more we can reduce our footprint, the better,” he said.