CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) _ The University of Virginia has contracted with an international security firm to guide vulnerable students to safety in Charlottesville neighborhoods near campus. The university says the unarmed security guards will be called ambassadors. The ambassadors may help walk students home, call a safe ride or wait with them at a bus stop. The ambassadors may also call a rescue squad if medical attention is needed and they will have a communications link to the emergency dispatch center. G4S has provided similar services at other schools, including the University of Pennsylvania, Virginia Tech and Virginia Commonwealth University. The security guards will patrol the popular strip of restaurants and bars known as The Corner, and also be stationed near fraternity houses and off-campus apartments. The program gets under way on Monday.
