Published 4/9/2025 by Praniti Gulyani
For international students, the globe is an object of immense significance. At some point, all of us have traced our fingers along the winding trails of blue oceans that extended their spiralling arms across the globe and connected our home country to the United States of America. This is usually when realization hits, and we recognize how far we’ve come. The seemingly dramatic metaphors that talk about international students being on the other side of the globe and flying across the seven seas leap out of the page and embrace reality. Before we know it, we’re living the sentences that were once limited to the rectangular dimensions of our story book pages. The distance, which is both physical and emotional, slowly begins to settle in. This is where the importance of safety comes in.
At UC Berkeley, first year students are automatically placed in on campus housing. These dorms, or residence halls as they are commonly called, are monitored by the Residential Life Safety Program. Every night, from 9 pm to 1 am on weekdays and 9 pm to 1:45 am on weekends, Residential Safety Ambassadors are stationed at the front desk, ensuring that everyone who enters the building is either a resident or a welcome guest. Individuals who don’t live in the said building are checked in with the help of a visitor form, a due record of which is maintained and cross-checked by the Safety Coordinators on Duty. Residential Safety Ambassadors are also required to file an Incident Report if they encounter any unusual activity while on shift, and are constantly backed up by Community Service Officers and the University of California Police Department if and when the need arises.
Last month, We Are Cal sat down with Scott Marsh, the Director of the Residential Life Safety Program who gave his insights on the workings of the program. In addition to emphasizing how the program must be interpreted as an assurance for international students and their inevitably concerned families back home, Marsh also touched upon the definition of safety and how the program is working towards upholding that everyday. “Safety to me is making sure that residents are safe, and most importantly, feel safe. It is also when there are as few threats of violence as possible, and people feel as though they are supported and have the resources that they need,” he said, insinuating that the responsibilities of a Residential Safety Ambassador extend beyond the desk. “We make sure that they get the help that they need, whether it is in situations like alcohol poisoning and the like,” he explained.
The Residential Safety Ambassadors are required to undergo vigorous training to equip them for all situations, and Marsh made that clear. “We train people to recognize signs of people in distress, whether it’s a mental health issue or something like substance abuse. As a part of their job, they also attend several workshops hosted by Bears That Care and the Center For Support and Intervention, which are other groups on campus. Several times a year, we also offer a program called Mental Health First Aid which trains people to help and communicate in such situations,” he stated.
Clearly, the execution of the program requires a lot of effort and commitment, and I asked Marsh what he hopes to eventually accomplish through it. “How do you see this benefitting the Residence Halls at a larger scale?” I asked. “I hope that nobody who isn’t a resident or a welcome guest of a resident enters the Residence Halls. One thing that I also try to do is having the Safety Ambassadors act as a source of communication for anyone who’s feeling unsafe in any way. I want them to be able to talk to the Safety Ambassador who would, in turn, help them access any resource that they need, whether it involves calling UCPD or otherwise,” he answered, helping me recognize the importance of witnessing a warm and welcoming face in situations. Sometimes, you just need someone to talk to— whether or not you know the person— and Scott Marsh hopes that his Safety Ambassadors would be that comforting confidante for someone who truly needs it.
The first step to improvement stems from acknowledgement, and Marsh does not hesitate to do that, especially when it comes to the concerns of international students and their families.
“I would like to acknowledge and validate their feelings and the potential sense of unsafety. I would like everyone to know that it is the focus of the university and this program is a testament to that. The university won’t let this be— they will address it. We are doing what we can to limit the sense of unsafety that happens on campus. We will take any complaints and issues that are raised very seriously. Personally, I have had calls with many student representatives and parents about things that we can do to make Berkeley safer. We’re always looking for ways to improve and are always open to feedback.”
This openness to growth indicates the promising nature of the Residential Life Safety Program that is built on the strong framework of understanding, acknowledgement and validation. “When things happen to you, your concerns are valid. I want to assure everyone that we take it seriously and we want to limit those incidents. If you have any suggestions, you’re welcome to reach out. We are always welcome to ideas,” he concluded with an assuring smile. Thus, at UC Berkeley, the core essence of the Residential Life Safety Program isn’t just an on-paper formality. It’s a ray of sunshine that lies within each Safety Ambassador as they greet you every night, ask you to tap your identification card, and wish you a good night. Together, they depict how the program isn’t one thing, it’s in fact a collective someone who is there for you whenever you need them.