Quincy University students who relied on campus security for rides around town are now having to find their own way, after the Security Department changed its transportation policy.

Under the new policy, officers will not give rides when only one officer is on duty. When more than one officer is working, security will still take students to doctor’s appointments, therapy, work-study jobs and the Amtrak station. Rides to the airport and to students’ personal jobs have ended entirely.

Rob Copley, director of security, said the change is about keeping officers on campus when they are needed most.

“One of the most frequent in-progress events that officers respond to would be a fire alarm, and it’s very important that they’re able to respond to that in a timely manner,” Copley said. “If we’re giving a ride off campus, that can cause an issue in us responding and getting there when we need to.”

Copley has been at Quincy since May 2024. He said officers were already giving rides before he arrived, and the department does not mind helping. The problem, he said, is that a ride can take the only officer on duty off campus for a long time.

“That time he spends giving that ride means no one is on campus doing security work,” he said.

Copley said the decision came from conversations with his supervisor, Christine Tracy, EdD, Dean of Students. Security may change the policy temporarily during emergencies, he said, and the one-officer rule covers both North Campus and Main Campus.

Copley said airport trips were cut because each one takes at least half an hour. He acknowledged the change will be felt most around breaks.

“I know that the airport in particular is going to be an issue at break time,” he said. He said he could not speak for the university but suggested it put a plan in place. “I would hope that we’d be able to work something out, but it just can’t be the security officer.”

For some students, the change is already causing problems. One student, Siobhan Rogers, doesn’t have a car on campus. She said she came to Quincy counting on security to get around.

“Angry. I am very angry,” Rogers said. “I was told that security could always give us a ride if we ever needed to go places.”

She has an internship at the courthouse that requires her to arrive at a set time, and her friends and classmates are often in class or at lifts.

“I’ve had to cancel a few times because I don’t have a ride all the way to where I need to be,” she said.

Copley suggested students plan ahead and set up rides with friends, classmates and teammates. City buses are free with a student ID, and Lyft is another option. He said he will get bus route information to students.

“I want students to know that we care about them,” Copley said. “We want to help them in every way, even when it’s giving them a ride. It’s just we have to keep our main mission in the forefront, and that’s the security and safety on campus.”

The university has not announced a solution for students who need to get to the airport.