Purpose

To operationalize Valley City State University’s policy 916 Campus Security.

Procedure

Physical Security

Physical security involves safeguarding personal and university property against theft or damage. The major method of accomplishing this is to ensure that storage spaces are locked. Building Security will check each academic building, to ensure that they are locked by 10:00 p.m. on weekdays. Residence halls will be checked at 11:00 p.m. Buildings will remain locked, except during published operating hours, unless prior coordination is made with the Facilities Services Department. As examples, such exceptions may be for programs, special activities, or extended hours for lab use. Written requests for opening buildings should be submitted to the Facilities Services Department at least one week in advance. Building Security will patrol the campus, both on foot and vehicle. He/she will also patrol inside the buildings to check interior security and HVAC systems. Only the exterior doors and mechanical rooms will be checked in the residence halls. Any problems inside the residence halls will be handled by the housing staff. If assistance is required, Building Security will be available. If any unusual conditions are noted, Building Security while checking the residence halls, will notify the on-duty RA. If an RA is not available, either the head resident or an individual listed in Section 4 of this policy will be notified.

After Hours Entry

Access to facilities during other than operating hours will be controlled by Building Security and the Heating Plant staff. Each division will determine whether or not it wants its area opened for use after hours and notify the Facilities Services office of its policy. The divisions may also specify guidelines or exceptions to the policy. Examples of these may include a 'buddy system' in the labs, or only opening the facility for special programs. Students who wish to have after-hours access must obtain an after-hours building entry permit, which will berequested and approved through OneStop by a faculty member. The students will report to the Heating Plant and present a Student ID card to the person on duty. The student's name will be compared to an approved entry list sent by Facilities Services Management. The student ID may later be checked by Building Security to verify that the student has permission to be in the building after hours. Students in a building at the time it is locked up will be asked to leave if they do not have permission to be in the building after hours. It will be up to the discretion of Building Security as to whether or not a student will be allowed to use the facilities. Any violations of posted rules or improper behavior will be grounds for Building Security to have the student leave, or to deny access to buildings. Once a student has been admitted, he/she may not let others into the building. Before leaving, all lights and equipment will be turned off, and the area will be left as it was found.

Safety

After-hours campus safety is another area Building Security will monitor. This can be broken down into two basic categories: unsafe conditions and unsafe acts. Unsafe conditions would include any condition that could possibly result in damage to property or injury to individuals. Examples of these conditions include, but are not limited to: fires, loss of electricity/heat, steam leaks inside buildings, downed power lines/trees, etc. Building Security will report these conditions, or any others that he/she deems unsafe, to the appropriate person responsible. Emergencies will be reported to the local authorities immediately. Unsafe acts are acts perpetrated by students or other individuals on campus that could possibly result in damage to property or injury to individuals. These acts include, but are not limited to, acts which are in violation of campus policy or any law. Building Security will have the authority to require any students involved to produce a student ID card, and/or disperse. If Building Security deems it necessary, a university official or the police will be contacted.

Parking

Building Security will be responsible for issuing after-hours parking tickets to those vehicles in violation of campus parking regulations.  

Incidents Involving Students

When students are involved in any incidents on campus, they must produce a student ID card when asked by Building Security. Building Security will record the student's name and student ID number, along with an explanation of the incident. If no student ID is available, another form of identification may be used. This information will be given to the Safety Coordinator daily. Students are required to comply with all lawful instructions given them by Building Security . These include instructing students to leave an area or disperse, and to confiscate any alcoholic beverages and/or contraband materials. The general policy at VCSU is that the police will be called only if there exists an immediate threat to the safety of individuals or for the protection of property. This means that problems will be dealt with by campus officials if at all possible. If the situation warrants it, one of the individuals listed in Section 4 of this policy will be contacted. It will be up to the judgment of Building Security, based on the situation, whether the police, a campus official, or a staff member should be contacted.

Emergencies

Building Security will immediately report any emergencies encountered by the Heating Plant staff, via two-way radio. The individual on duty will relay this information to the local police or fire department. Other individuals will be notified in accordance with emergency policies. Building Security will be responsible for immediately investigating all priority-1 alarms received on the Heating Plant monitoring system. He/she will report back to the plant on what was found. Following are some general guidelines 

FIRES: If alarms have not sounded, the nearest alarm box will be activated. The plant will be contacted via 2-way radio, and the operator on duty will call the fire department. If possible, the building should be searched for trapped individuals. First aid should be rendered if needed, and ambulance contacted. The building doors should be unlocked for fire department access. Facilities Services staff may attempt to fight the fire, if possible, but personal safety takes precedence.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES: Call 911 for ambulance response and notify the Heat Plant as soon as possible. Render first aid as necessary.

UNLAWFUL ACTS/CRIMES: Report by radio to the Heating Plant and the operator on duty will call the police. If the incident has already occurred, Building Security will assist any injured person, and protect the crime scene. If the incident is in progress, the following things will apply:

1. Call the police if injury to persons or damage to property is involved.
2. Write down descriptions of assailants, witnesses, time, vehicle, etc.
3. Verbally confront the assailants, attempting to stop them.
4. DO NOT physically intervene, unless an individual is in peril of bodily harm.
5. Assist the police as needed.

Sponsored by: Vice President for Student Affairs 

Reviewed: Winter 1996

Reviewed: February 2005

Reviewed: Summer 2007

Revised: Summer 2015

Revised: Fall 2024