Dan Nadler, vice president for student affairs, traded in his normal suit and tie for a light blue polo shirt and khaki shorts for a bike ride Tuesday afternoon.

He strapped on a helmet, too, to ride along with University Police Department officer Ryan Risinger.

“You need to get some sun on those legs,” joked UPD Chief Adam Due to Nadler. “It’s nice to have a boss that has a sense of humor.”

Nadler tries to do a ride-along with UPD at least once a semester, he said. He hopes that doing things like this bring visibility to what UPD does and focus on the positive aspects of the department.

Nadler understands that much of what UPD is seen doing is negative, like the flashing lights and officers writing parking tickets and drinking citations, Due said.

“He realizes we do a lot of good, too,” he said.

But the negative things get a lot more coverage than positive things.

Nadler likes to make sure there’s a focus on the positive aspects of UPD, too, he said.

University police are a part of the daily routine at Eastern, Nadler said. They’re a daily presence on campus all the time.

“They’re a part of the culture here,” he said.

Nadler and Risinger covered the entire campus on bike in about an hour and a half. That time included time for Nadler to talk to students he met on the tour.

Students told Nadler about papers due, midterms and their excitement for Family Weekend.

Most students were calm and quiet, Nadler said, but that’s reflective of the times.

Because family members are coming, students are trying to finish homework and clean their rooms before the weekend, he said.

The worst thing to give your parents on Family Weekend is an apology for taking time away from them to finish homework, Nadler said.

Because of the flow and size of Eastern’s campus, UPD can have a lot of interaction with students, Nadler said.

UPD is highly visible and mobile. They can stop often for whatever reason, he said.

Nadler said he feels safe on campus because UPD is around all the time.

“It gives you a sense of comfort,” he said.

UPD has used bike patrol since the mid-’90s.

“Because the campus is fairly compact, it’s absolutely amazing how quickly you can get around (campus),” Nadler said.