Out-of-stater and second-year student at Simpson College, Makayla Fowler, knew she needed to brave the frigid cold to get groceries. After a week of weather below zero, she was worried about the status of her car.
One turn of the key and the puttering sound of her engine told her that her luck had run out, and her car battery did too. Fowler, whose family was a plane ride away, knew her only option was to call campus security.
Sitting in her freezing cold vehicle, the girl made the call to Russell Rivers, the evening security officer for the night, who immediately dropped what he was doing and was on his way.
When Rivers got to the scene, he diagnosed her car problems and recommended places she could take her car the next day. He invited her into his warm car and took her back to her dorm.
“Campus Grandpa,” or Russell Rivers, gets his nickname from the close personal relationships he fosters with the students he serves. Many students would say there isn’t much Rivers wouldn’t do for the students, as he even refers to the student body as his “big extended family.”
Rivers is going on his 20th year as the evening security worker at Simpson. He is a Des Moines native and a graduate of Valley High School. He worked multiple jobs in the area, including Meredith Printing, the Blood Center of Des Moines as a phlebotomist and most recently at the Indianola Fire Department as an EMT.
Now, he finds his satisfaction in protecting Simpson’s campus in addition to his morning-shift stocking job at the Menards in town.
Working the 4 p.m.-midnight shift at Simpson, Rivers is recognized as the kindest campus security worker and a joy to students. He won the 2020 Staff Student Impact Award for encouraging students to reach out when they are in need.
Campus Grandpa takes every call, from fixing a flat tire to escorting rides, burnt-out lights and serious medical calls. He wants students to know campus security is there for their safety.
“I want the students to feel comfortable with security,” Rivers said. “Everyone has the idea that security is out to get them, and security isn’t that way. We are here to help the students and not make life miserable.”
Using campus security is as easy as calling the number on the back of a student ID. Students should consider taking advantage of it since they pay for it.
That’s right. Students pay for campus security.
Vice President for Student Development and Planning Heidi Levine could not specify an allotted dollar amount directed to campus security but confirmed it comes from fees students pay each semester.
“Campus Security is funded through the college’s general operating budget, which is derived primarily from tuition and general fees,” Levine wrote in an email.
Simpson sophomore Makenna Askeland said she often forgets to call campus security but is treated well when she does.
“When I was a freshman, I used it all the time and always had a great experience,” Askeland said. “The night worker [Rivers never made me feel like a burden and was always so kind. I didn’t feel like I was going to get in trouble when I needed a ride.”
When asked about his craziest story while working evening security, Rivers recalled the story of the “naked mile run.”
In 2010, Rivers was driving around campus and heard a commotion on the football field. He and another security worker went to the field, where they saw close to 40 people without clothes running laps around the track.
In an attempt to bust the students, they went onto the field, but all the students fled the scene, most still without clothes. Rivers and his co-worker took all the deserted clothes and told the students they could only get them back if they came to the security office to pick them up. Very few were brave enough to retrieve their clothes.
“Those are the kinds of events that make my job exciting,” he said.
It turns out campus security does more than lock up buildings and give escorts. They also bust naked mile runs.
Rivers said his favorite part of his job is escorting students.
“I got to know the students, and they started calling me ‘Campus Dad,’ and I still have students that keep in contact on Facebook,” Rivers said. “I graduated from that, and now I got campus grandkids. I enjoy working with the students.”
Campus security’s purpose is to keep everyone safe while making connections with the students. Few do it better than Rivers.
“The problem we’ve noticed is that people are afraid to call security because they fear they will get in trouble. It actually makes our night go faster,” he said.
“Russ was super helpful and an all-around nice guy,” Fowler said.
The next time you run into trouble, don’t be afraid to give “Campus Grandpa” a call. He’ll be glad to help.