Erin Droste

Luis Santacruz, Asuncion, Paraguay, sophomore, talks with fellow deskie Carlos Martinez, San Juan, Puerto Rico, freshman, inside Ellsworth Hall. This is Santacruz’s first year working as a deskie in Ellsworth and he plans to keep working there in the future. Santacruz said he knows most of the residents by face if not by name. “I get to see 500 kids a day,” Santacruz said. “I get to meet a lot of people and it’s a lot of fun.”

The student struggled as he tried to drag the keg of beer into the building. Luis Santacruz, Asuncion, Paraguay, sophomore, could not believe what he was seeing while he was working on a Saturday night. Santacruz does not work at a Lawrence bar; he works at Ellsworth Hall.

Santacruz said that he immediately took the keg outside the building and called for security backup. This is just one of the many jobs of a desk assistant, security monitor, or “deskie” as referred to by residence hall students. However, the job requires more social-oriented skills because the situations are not often as extreme as the one Santacruz dealt with.

“We just wrote up a report for that instance because that was the only time anything like that had ever happened,” Santacruz said.

The desk assistant position has been a desired position for students in the last year. Carlos Martinez, San Juan, Puerto Rico, freshman and Ellsworth deskie, said that when he applied for the position last summer, he was one of approximately 200 applicants. Being recommended by two residence assistants from the Freshman Summer Institute program enhanced his chances, he said.

Desk assistants start at $6 an hour. Patrick Quinn, desk manager in Ellsworth Hall, makes the final decisions on the staff members.

“We give priority to sophomores and people who live in the halls,” Quinn said. “Another big aspect is interviewing and recommendations from RA’s and staff.”

Deskies issue out disciplinary measures in respect to security but they also serve as a friendly face for residence hall students. Martinez said that he tries to make residents feel at home when he works behind the desk.

“Half the people I know at Ellsworth I met specifically through the front desk,” Martinez said.

Santacruz said that he became interested in the desk assistant position by playing board games, watching DVDs and talking with other deskies.

“The main thing that drew me to becoming a deskie was the fact that I was going to meet a lot of people,” Santacruz said.

At night deskies serve as the primary security guards for the residence halls. Santacruz said that the University could have chosen private security but he thought students felt comfortable with the deskies’ handling common problems at night.

Stephen Guernsey, Olathe freshman and McCollum resident, said that he brought a cooler into his residence hall after 11 p.m., which is when students are required to swipe their KUID cards to get in the residence halls.

Guernsey said that the deskie staff was polite in asking him to see what was inside the cooler. All the deskie found was Mug root beer inside.

Guernsey said that he appreciated and understood the deskies’s polite questioning. He said the deskies took away any natural uneasiness he had.

Working at the front desk gives deskies the ability to deal with repeated problems with their residence halls. Kathy Zolla, Denver senior, said that the Jayhawker Towers have had a problem with lockouts, particularly students keeping loaned keys after they’ve been locked out.

Zolla said that the towers changed the lock on every door and each student had to retain a new key with their KUID.

Santacruz said that students trying to sneak alcohol into the residence halls was the most common problem that he dealt with. He said that Ellsworth has a three-strike policy when it comes to suspicion of alcohol and serious noise complaints.

Zolla said that she enjoyed working as a deskie so much that she is now one of the longest tenured towers deskies at two-and-a-half years.

“I even met my boyfriend from being a deskie at the towers,” Zolla said.