Anmol (Andy) Marwaha questioned the request at first – why would he, a training supervisor with University Heights Association Public Safety, be invited to the ACPHS Student Government Association Annual Leadership Banquet? The invitation said he had been nominated for an award.
But then his supervisor explained: That was just a cookie-cutter invitation; SGA needed some public safety presence on site at the event. Then Marwaha got to Riverstone Manor in Schenectady on April 6, and people were smiling at him in a certain, conspiratorial way, and he knew: He was getting some kind of award.
“It was kind of 'surprising, not surprising,' with my investigative skills,” Marwaha quipped. “It was still an honor.”
Marwaha received the SGA President’s Award. It’s one of 17 awards given out by the student group each year, and it is the single one utterly at the discretion of the SGA President, without specific parameters. SGA President Dominick Lomonaco said that Marwaha’s handling of the occasional challenging situation made him a standout. He chose him for his dedication to public safety and also to his compassionate approach to defusing tense moments.
“He really sheds a light on the good that public safety can provide,” said Lomonaco (shown above presenting Marwaha with his award).
Marwaha has worked for UHA Public Safety, which provides services to ACPHS and neighboring schools of higher education, for more than seven years. Until recently, he worked the 3:30-11:30 p.m. shift, and was often at a residence hall for a challenging situation – a violation of housing rules or a medical emergency, for instance.
The 28-year-old Marwaha said he would never respond in a heavy-handed manner but tried to talk to students regarding their activities. He might ask, “You have great grades. Why would you want to jeopardize your future by smoking marijuana in your room?” Students generally respond well to that kind of reasoning, he said.
“We’re not cops, we’re not looking for crime,” he said. “We’re enforcing rules but we’re educating too. I want to be a role model.”
When he himself was a student at Hudson Valley Community College and considering law enforcement as a career, campus public safety appealed to him due to that very opportunity, Marwaha said.
“I felt the campus public safety job was unique,” he said. “We’re here to assist students and help them get an education.”
See the press release for the list of other SGA award winners for 2022-23.