Susan Shaw may be the most visible person on campus that you never notice.

Don’t feel bad. It’s easy to go past one of the four traffic booths on campus without thinking of the person working inside. But once you meet Shaw and hear some of her stories, she is difficult to forget.

From students wearing nothing but boxes to students barreling through stop signs during finals week, she has “seen some pretty crazy stuff.” It turns out that her traffic booth, located on 14th Street and Jayhawk Boulevard, is about the best people-watching spot on campus.

However, Shaw doesn’t have a lot of time to people-watch. She’s too busy giving directions to confused freshmen, counting passing cars and watching for people driving on campus illegally.

Vehicles without gold, commercial or service permits are not allowed on campus from 7:45 a.m. to 5 p.m. during weekdays. All vehicles must stop at the booth to show their permit. Those that don’t stop and lack a permit are called “runners.”

“Oh, I can pretty much tell when someone is going to run me,” she said.

Once Shaw sees the vehicle isn’t slowing down she memorizes the make, model and color of the car. After the car passes her, she quickly memorizes the vehicle’s license plate.

“I have to have the correct information,” she said. “Otherwise I won’t call it in.”

Those who are reported for running the booth receive a $55 fine.

According to Shima McCurdy, supervisor of booth personel, runners are a common occurrence. For the month of September, 134 vehicles ran through the four check points. Booth D, located near the Chi Omega fountain, recorded the most runs with 47. In 2010 there were 1,612 runs, McCurdy said.

For all the people that run, booth employees are able to flag others down and convince them to turn around.

“I’ll ask them what’s their purpose,” Shaw said. “It’s always that they are in a hurry and they’re running late. Then I let them know it’s their choice. Most of the time they turn around.”

Shaw said that she occasionally deals with drivers that are rude and disrespectful to her, especially when students are stressed around finals time.

“I hate to say it but they are,” she said. “It’s my job to turn them around. It’s being positive.”

While some drivers — especially those who run the booths — may not agree with the regulations and fines, McCurdy said the University has a good reason for only limiting vehicles on campus during the weekdays.

“If everyone were able to drive on campus, people would be getting run over,” she said. “People that are in a hurry and would just fly through and hit someone. A lot of students talk on phones, use iPods and don’t pay attention. I feel like you have to keep everybody safe.”

Student safety is one of Shaw’s main concerns. This and helping those she comes in contact with has kept her coming back to work for the last four years. Shaw is semi-retired and moved back to Lawrence after losing her husband in order to take care of her aging parents. She grew stir crazy in her parents’ home and took a job with Parking and Transit.

“I love working for the department,” she said. “I am up here for part of the excitement of the day, and I get to assist and help people.”

While Shaw may love the department now, the job took a little getting used to. Bathroom breaks were at first a problem.

“I used to drink a lot of water,” Shaw said.

Employees get a break in the morning, one at lunch and one in the afternoon. Any other time and someone must be called to temporarily sub in the booth.

Despite lacking a bathroom, the booth Shaw works in resembles a small window office featuring a microwave, a mini fridge and air conditioning.

For Shaw, the campus location is also a big perk. She works out at 6 a.m. in Robinson Center before beginning her shift at 7:45 a.m. At lunch she often attends speeches at the Kansas Union. She said her favorite part of the job is watching students mature.

Shaw occasionally trains students to work in the booth and forms relationships with them. At the time of the interview she was training Jacob Vail, a freshman from Osawatomie.

“You see people — like Jacob, here — I see them grow and develop,” Shaw said. “You see them mature and I feel like I have a part in their upbringing. By being an adult, I can encourage them.”

Shaw’s own children and grandchildren reside in Kansas City. After both of her parents passed away in the last two years, Shaw considered moving back to Kansas City to be closer to her remaining family but stayed in Lawrence because she loves the town and her job.

“I plan to work here another five or 10 years, or as long as my health holds out,” she said.

— Edited by Laura Nightengale