use of student guards.  The first person to respond to the original
posting made some pretty all-encompassing statements.  Supervising student
guards is not difficult at all.  Not every college student is a member of
the Delta House [for all you Animal House fans].  I don't feel that
student guards need to be placed in basic training to orient them either.        Our situation is fairly simple.  We work 4 hour shifts, are
properly attired, yet casual (tie, kakis, ect...is acceptable),
identified by a security badge, equipt with a walkie talkie and oriented
on the various exhibits which we guard.    Made up mostly of museum and
history majors, we feel comfortable answering questions, and do not feel
uncomfortable protecting exhibits from over eager children or adults.        The arrangement, in my opinion, has been beneficial to the
institution and the student guards.  They get relatively inexpensive and
educated help, and we can begin to make contacts and observe the day to
day operations of a museum.        If your student guards are showing up in "Shit Happens" T-shirts,
you have the wrong types of individuals (who are not indicative of the
entire student population) and you have not developed and instituted a
guard policy.  Yes, there are some considerations inherently involved in
using student guards- ie. breaks, mid-terms, finals, etc..., but all of
these are predictable and can be addressed during the hiring process.        All in all, the use of student guards in an excellent way to tap
into a (much maligned) resource, and is mutually beneficial if used
correctly.
                                        Vince

Vince Brooks
4624 Penn Ave #1
Pittsburgh, PA  15224

"You can't spend what you ain't got, and you can lose what you ain't never
had."

                                                - Muddy Waters