BY EMILY LUCIA
Just in time for the new semester, Public Safety added two new members to their ranks. Lance Hunt and Brittney Newport join the 17, now 19 member staff, and both are very excited to begin their new journey. When asked why they chose to work for McKendree, Hunt and Newport had similar responses, commenting on how the university was close to home and very beautiful.
“It definitely is a good college and you guys definitely have a good reputation out there and it looks like it’s a fun place to be a part of, whether you’re a student, faculty—just a fan of the sports teams,” Newport said.
“It kind of makes you feel like a family too,” Hunt added.
Hunt, a retired firefighter, said he was interested in the idea of police work. Prior to being a firefighter, he said he had taken a few criminal justice classes at SWIC before getting a job with the fire department. When he retired, he decided to pick up the police career field again. “They say that most firefighters want to be policemen; well most policemen want to be firefighters,” he commented.
Newport was an MP in the United States Army. And now, after a year of civilian life, she is ready to jump back into the field; this time in Public Safety. “Public safety is going to be kind of a different pace for me, just because it’s more of the civilian world. So I’m excited to see what it has to offer.” Newport said.
When asked about their expectations when they arrived at McKendree, Hunt responded that he did not imagine the family-oriented atmosphere, and he found it was very cool to come into a college with such an atmosphere. Newport agreed and was surprised at how many years each of her new co-workers have been with McKendree. “They’ve been here for so many years and know everything and that’s how it sort of feels family-like, because you have people who have been here for a long time and they know a lot of fun things [about the campus].”
I asked them what they look forward to the most in their first year at McKendree, and Hunt stated that he is looking forward to meeting the students and faculty as well as getting to know them. Newport nodded in agreement; she added that she’s looking forward to McKendree sports as well the excitement around those events.
“We’re really excited about being here.” Newport restated.
On behalf of the McKendree Review and the student body, I welcome Officers Hunt and Newport to McKendree and wish them all the luck in their first year here!
