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The University of Arizona is still facing a $20 million class-action lawsuit filed by female faculty members who claim, among other things, that they have been underpaid.

The University of Arizona is hiring students to be the โ€œeyes and earsโ€ of the campus Police Department.

The Community Service Officer program is designed to employ students looking for a job while attending the university or students who might want to continue on to a career in law enforcement following their graduation, according to Rene Hernandez, a spokesman for UAPD.

Students will be employed, trained and dispatched by UAPD in order to respond to some reports in the field, Hernandez said.

The CSOs are deployed on foot or bicycle to designated areas of the university. Currently, UAPD has four student CSOs.

โ€œItโ€™s a great resource for us and a great resource for them,โ€ Hernandez said. โ€œWeโ€™re seeing what is happening on our campus.โ€

CSOs are allowed to take certain criminal reports, such as bicycle thefts and larceny, as well as respond to calls for escorts, public assists, noncriminal alarms and assisting in any nonpatrol areas of the department.

CSOs help the UAPD officers in figuring out how to best patrol the campus and keep it safe.

They see issues the officers might not have been aware of on campus, and help UAPD identify what the campus climate and student attitude is toward UAPD, according to Hernandez.

These students will also have the opportunity to assist in property and evidence, special events, dispatching, administration and investigation.

The CSOs work with the department a minimum of 15 hours a week.

UAPD is accepting applications with background checks until March 5.

For more information or to apply online, visit uapd.arizona.edu/position/student-community-service-officer


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Leah Gilchrist is a University of Arizona journalism student who is an apprentice at the Star.