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2003 News

Protecting future caregivers: Security guards take proactive role in ensuring nursing students’ safety

Long before anyone ever heard the words homeland security or code orange, the School of Nursing had Jimmy Eaddy and James Howell to help them feel safe.

Behind their charming — and somewhat disarming — “greeter” smiles are the trained eyes and ears of university security guards with a single mission: To protect the 1,100 predominantly female faculty, staff and students of the nursing school. Questions are often hidden in their friendly “good morning” and “good afternoon” salutations as they attempt to find out who exactly belongs at the school and who doesn’t.

Because of its remote location on Red River Street across from the Erwin Center, the school decided more than 10 years ago to have a security guard inside the front doors from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Eaddy, who is called “Jimmy” by all those who know him, shares the duties with James Howell, who is called “Mr. Howell” by all those who know him. The 73-year-old Howell is a retired U.S. Air Force public affairs officer who has worked at the university for 13 years.

Eaddy opens the doors at 7 a.m. and occasionally has had to gently chase away transients sleeping against the wall of the school. And then there was the time a young man came into the building with nothing but a T-shirt on.

“He obviously had a night on the town and perhaps was even the object of a college prank,” said Eaddy.

Several faculty members come to their offices at the university early in the morning before going off to work at local hospitals. Students often stay at the school into the night brushing up on their nursing skills in the Learning Center.

The shift changes at 3 p.m. when Howell comes on duty. He has had to contend with his share of unwelcome visitors, too, especially on concert nights at the Erwin Center.

“There’s something about the word ‘Nursing’ on the building,” said Howell. “It acts like a magnet.”

Howell added that he follows three rules: Be Friendly, Be Helpful, Be Alert.

He also believes that work keeps you active and is quick to point out that he didn’t even begin working at the university until he was 60 years old. In the Air Force, the Texas A&M University graduate was stationed in such places as Japan, Spain, Korea and the Pentagon. The 41-year-old Eaddy, an Austin native who graduated from Johnston High School, is no stranger to the life of a security guard. His father, Javo, was a security guard at the university for 25 years until his retirement in 2001. Eaddy remembers his dad taking him up into the Tower when he was only seven years old.

In addition to keeping a watchful eye at the nursing school, Eaddy helps out with visitors coming to the school to participant in various research studies . Many of the participants in the Senior Wise Project, for example, come to the school in the morning to take memory tests.

“Many of our participants are over 65 years of age and are quite fragile and overwhelmed when they come to the school for testing,” said Dr. Graham McDougall, associate professor of nursing and principal investigator for the ongoing memory study.

“Jimmy is the first contact they have once they arrive. Through his friendly demeanor and personable charm, he makes them comfortable. He makes our research projects go so much smoother.”

The benefit of working in a building with mostly females?

“You get a lot of pretty smiles,” said Eaddy. “Women rule.”

-- Photos: Marsha Miller