"The SSI guards can't make exceptions," says one Harvard guard. "They're trained to only work within the box."
Another problem reported by HUPD officers and students is some SSI guards' lack of proficiency in English.
For instance, students and police reported seeing a guard translating a memo from SSI by typing it into a hand-held translator, word-by-word.
Riley says that he thinks most of the guards do speak English.
Still, he said, "someone with marginal English wouldn't necessarily be a problem."
Benefits of New Guards
In particular, students praise Cort Ellis, an SSI guard in Quincy House, saying he is making an effort to get to know students' names and rooms.
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