Sunya Chay, Staff Writer
Saint Martin’s University’s Office of Public Safety does a number of things around campus to make sure all of the students, faculty, and staff are safe. Public Safety provides parking passes, ID cards, and safety escort services, to name a few duties. Public Safety’s website also has information on what to do in an evacuation, fire safety in the dorms, and carpool safety. In just a few short weeks, Saint Martin’s University will be introducing a new head director of the Public Safety department, Sharon Schnebly, as our current director, Howard Thronson, will officially be retiring. Schnebly will be arriving on April 19th from Spokane, Wash.
Originally from the Tri-cities before moving to Spokane, Schnebly had just recently been working as a Civil Rights Investigator. Through this position, she ensured that women and minorities who were working as transportation contractors had access to equal opportunities and ensured that no fraud took place. Before being a Civil Rights Investigator, Schnebly had also worked for the city of Pullman, the Franklin County Police Department, and Washington State University’s Public Safety department as well.
With over thirty years of experience in security and law enforcement, Schnebly knew that she wanted to find a career in the field. Coming from a long line of family who were involved in it, Schnebly was interested and wanted to pursue a related career. “My dad was a police officer, and my grandpa and uncle were also involved in law enforcement. So, I was pretty exposed to it and knew that I wanted to be a part of law enforcement when I got older.”
When she is not working in public safety or law enforcement, Schnebly also does carpentry as a hobby. She started doing carpentry in high school thirty years ago and continued to do it as a side hobby whenever she has the chance. “I started in high school and did it all four years,” she said. “After high school, I would do small projects when I had little space. Then as I got more space, I started making bigger projects.”
Having a positive impact on students while also having the opportunity to educate them on safety measures makes the position an excellent fit for Schnebly. “What drew me into working with students was when I worked at Washington State University and had the opportunity to work with students,” she said. She also fit the qualities they were looking for in the new director. “At first, I did not know much about Saint Martin’s University, but after looking at what they were looking for as the new Director of the Public Safety department [I learned] they wanted someone who knew and understood the issues that surrounded minorities and law enforcement. As I looked into the school more, I saw the Benedictine Values and how they are similar to my own morals.”
The Belltower 