You never know who is watching.

Ohio State students are at an advantage though, having the eyes of one of the university’s most involved faculty members watching over them.

Willie J. Young, director of Off Campus Student Services, takes pride in being able to look out for students from 10 p.m. until nearly 3 a.m. every weekend as he prowls around student neighborhoods in a stylish white minivan.

“I just drive around and make sure that everything is going all right,” Young said, who is also part of Buckeye Watch, a student-organized neighborhood watch program. “I’ve developed a relationship with the students and want to make sure I’m there to watch out for them.”

His night-owl duties are just the beginning of a long list of roles and accomplishments of this 52-year-old man.

Young, a graduate of Bowling Green State University, has always been involved in student life.

He has a master’s in college student personnel and was assistant dean-in-residence of Mansfield University in Pennsylvania, as well as the associate dean of residence life at Wittenberg University.

He then traveled to Wilberforce University near Dayton for nine years, where he served as vice president of Student Affairs.

In 1990, OSU gave him the opportunity to work at a large school where he could have even more students to watch over.

“My heart is in BGSU, but my best work is as a Buckeye,” said Young.

BGSU obviously was also fond of Young. The school awarded him in 2000 with the Alumni Service Award, the highest honor given to an alumnus.

The third floor of the Ohio Union is home to Off Campus Student Services. OCSS provides programs and services to meet the needs of off-campus and commuter students as well as the local community.

Before the demolition of the neighborhood near south campus, Young was there to assist students who were weary of their landlords and Campus Partners. As a member of the board of Campus Partners, Young was able to help students from inside and out of the system to make sure they were receiving fair treatment.

“The best thing about Willie is that he is a man of authority that is not a threat to the students, but yet he is there to help them,” said Elaine McRoberts, an undecided freshman and an administrative assistant at OCSS. “I have never seen someone care so much about their job.”

OCSS also strives to promote citizenship responsibility, but is there to help students with housing as well as any other services a student living off campus or commuting would desire. Young has played a key role in keeping this services alive and successful.

“Willie is the main reason I work here,” said Dilnavaz Cama, office manager of OCSS. “He works extremely well with students and will go the extra mile to help students out.”

Cama recalls an instance when a student’s home burned down. Young gave his own money to help set the student up in a hotel.

“He has a heart of gold and will never think twice about going outside the duties of his job to help someone out,” Cama said.

Young has also been a part of the Jericho Row Project – a free breakfast at United Methodist Church near 16th and Waldeck avenues which takes place the first Friday of every month. Nearly 800 students make their way to the church from noon-3 p.m., once a month.

A native of Cleveland, Young has always been an avid sports fan. Young, who has not missed a BGSU homecoming game since 1968, collects various sports memorabilia. His office displays nearly 30 autographed footballs as well as numerous sports specialty items, such as a Mark Price candy bar. Young confesses that his most prized possession, though, is a Mohammed Ali autograph that he received from the legend himself in a restaurant in 1974.

When he has leisure time, Young also enjoys to hit the greens for a few rounds of golf.

Outside, Young may seem like the “big man on campus” type, but there are many creative aspects to this man. He is a published poet and lover of many music genres, and he displays numerous works of art in his office.

Although his spare time is extremely limited, Young always finds time for Willie Jr. in his busy schedule. With an active 14-year-old son, traveling to soccer games and track meets on a regular basis has become part of the routine. His wife of 27 years, Pam, admits that both she and Willie are busy, but they remain flexible with each other, which keeps their marriage strong.

“He is a great father and husband but also has a wonderful connection to the community,” his wife said. “As long as he is happy, I’m happy.”

On top of all his accomplishments, Young is a trivia buff. For certain college functions, such as the student affairs kickoff, this trivia master will dress up as his creation, Professor Buckeye, and try to stump OSU students. Wearing a buckeye hat and festive jacket, Young offers prizes such as dinners and OSU mementos for the whiz kids who can answer his questions correctly.

“It’s frustrating sometimes having a photographic memory,” Young said. “You can’t forget anything.”

Young’s photographic memory comes in handy, though, when it comes to his job at OCSS. It would be hard to find anyone that knows the streets of OSU’s off-campus neighborhoods better than this man.

“I know the houses that party, who doesn’t, who leaves the trash out, and who keeps their yards nice,” Young said with his usual big smile. “But I’m not here to get anyone in trouble, but rather I am here to look out and make sure students realize college is about having a good time. Just be responsible.”