Access to Campus Facilities

Personal Security Recommendations

1. Security staff are available to assist you in protecting yourself by providing regular foot and/or vehicle patrols, security programs, as well as various safety posters and brochures. However, only you can protect yourself by being aware of your surroundings and taking appropriate steps in preventing crime from happening.
2. Call for a Safewalk! Security provides a safewalk on the campus for individuals upon request. The service is available, on a 24-hour basis throughout the year, by calling extension V/TTY 2111.
3. Be aware of when patrol is on duty. Security staff patrol the campus 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The Security Dispatch Office (V/TTY 389-2111) is staffed on a 24-hour basis.
4. Use Emergency Telephones. There are eighteen emergency telephones installed on the University campus (see map on inside back cover). These telephones are identified by a blue light and provide a direct line to the Security dispatcher.
5. Use the Personal Safety Telephone Hotline. A personal safety telephone hotline has been established by the Security Department to allow the community to access information about current personal safety happenings and safety tips. The hotline is a recorded message that is accessible 24 hours a day. [phone 507-389-2594].
6. Call for Emergency Medical Technicians (EMT). The University employs students during Fall and Spring terms, who are nationally, and/or state registered as emergency medical technicians. These students respond to any medical emergency on the campus and work with the community's ambulance service if additional assistance is needed.
7. Consult the Safety Education & Crime Prevention Division. Security employees make presentations to campus groups on personal safety. These presentations include an orientation to safety services on the campus as well as the national Operation I.D. program and information about expanding an individual's sense of personal safety.
8. Be cautious about putting personal information on any website. Providing personal information can put you at risk for identity theft or personal safety crimes. Students are encouraged to become actively engaged in the University community. Social networking websites, e.g. Facebook, MySpace, and Xanga provide additional means for students to connect with one another. Communication on these sites is considered a public forum and can be viewed by anyone. To support personal safety and guard against identity theft, students are cautioned against including class schedules, birthdates, cell phone numbers and addresses on their profiles. While the University does not monitor such sites, suspected violations of law or University policy posted online may be submitted to campus officials and police for investigation, and used as evidence in a disciplinary proceeding.
9. Protect your room or apartment:
   1. Lock your door—even if you are only going out for a short time or only going a short distance. It only takes seconds to walk into your open room and steal your valuables.
   2. Always keep your door locked. Pay particular attention to make sure it is locked when you are asleep.
   3. Do not prop open locked exterior building doors. These doors are locked for your protection and protection of other residents.
   4. Never open exterior doors of the building for strangers or non-residents. Always escort your guests to and from the main entrance doors.
   5. Do not loan your keys to anyone—even a classmate or a friend. They may not be careful with them and may misplace them, giving the wrong person access.
   6. Do not leave your keys lying around in public places or in your jacket pocket when you are not wearing it.
   7. Do not put your name or address on key rings as they may be used to steal your property if found by the wrong person.
10. Protect your property:
    1. Personal property (purses, briefcases, calculators, laptop computers, etc.) should never be left unattended. Take such items with you if you are leaving the office, classroom or residence hall room.
    2. Lock your door whenever you leave your room or office. Always lock your door when sleeping. Always lock your car doors.
    3. Never open the exterior doors of the building to strangers or non-residents. Always escort your guests to and from the main entrance doors.
    4. Protect all valuables in your room, office or vehicle. Do not leave valuables in plain view.
    5. Take valuables home with you during vacations.
    6. You are encouraged to open a savings or checking account rather than allow large sums of money to accumulate in your room. If you open a checking account, remember the number of the last check written. The theft of a single check can go undetected until a bank statement discloses a forgery.
    7. Park your bike where you can keep an eye on it if possible. Always lock your bike. There are several good anti-theft devices available. Case-hardened heavy locks and chains afford the best protection.
11. Protect your automobile:
    1. Always lock your car doors and never leave your keys in the vehicle.
    2. Try to park your car in a well-lit area.
    3. Avoid leaving property where it is visible.
12. Protect yourself at night:
    1. Avoid walking alone at night.
    2. Refrain from taking shortcuts, walk where there is plenty of light and traffic.
    3. Call for a safewalk (V/TTY 389-2111).
    4. When possible let someone know your return time and route.
13. Protect yourself walking and jogging:
    1. Avoid walking and jogging alone after dark. If you must travel alone at night, use the Minnesota State Mankato Safewalk Service (V/TTY 389-2111) to Safewalk you to your on-campus destination or locations near campus.
    2. Walk along well-lit routes.
    3. Be alert to your surroundings. If you suspect you are being followed, run in a different direction, go to the other side of the street and yell for help, or yell at the person to "leave me alone" while you head quickly for a lighted area or a group of people.
    4. Have your keys ready when returning to your residence hall or apartment and keep your personal or valuable items concealed and close to your body.
    5. Closed circuit television cameras are installed in many campus lots and/or major walkways of the University. These cameras, monitored by a University communications officer, have been installed as a deterrent to criminal activity and serve as a supplement to routine security patrols.
14. Help us protect you:
    1. Watch for suspicious persons in and around University buildings and in parking lots. Do not pursue them. Call Security immediately. Call Security if you should enter your room and find a stranger, regardless of the "explanation" supplied.
       1. Suspicious activity:
          1. If you see any suspicious activity or people on or near campus, call Security immediately (V/TTY 389-2111). Do not assume that what you observe is an innocent activity or that it has already been reported.
          2. If something feels wrong or looks suspicious (gut feeling) it probably is, call Security.
          3. Do not assume the person is a visitor or University staff member that you have not seen before.
       2. Suspicious people may be:
          1. Loitering about at unusual hours and locations; running, especially if something of value is being carried.
          2. Exhibiting unusual mental or physical symptoms. Person(s) could be under the influence of drugs or otherwise needing medical or psychiatric assistance.
          3. Carrying property that might be suspicious, depending on the circumstances, going from room to room trying door handles.
    2. Door-to-door soliciting is not permitted in University residence facilities. Violations of this rule should be reported to Security.
    3. Report all thefts and property loss immediately to Security.
    4. Be security conscious at all times.

Security Considerations of Campus Facilities

1. Building access and maintenance:
   1. The Minnesota State Mankato campus is for the use of the students, faculty, staff and their escorted guests and those on official business with Minnesota State Mankato. All others are subject to being charged with trespassing.
   2. All University academic and administrative facilities are locked (between 10:30 p.m. and 12:00 midnight) during academic week each night by Security or Building Services. After a building is locked, employees must possess a University identification card if present in the facility. Others using the facility must possess and present a valid building pass and picture identification card when requested. Security officers routinely patrol classroom and administrative buildings. Individuals remaining within University buildings after they are secured, do so at their own risk. Authorized individuals remaining within the buildings have the right to request to see another's valid ID and or pass. If assistance is needed call Security.
   3. Students, faculty, staff and visitors are encouraged to report needed repairs to Facilities Maintenance. This University department maintains University buildings and grounds with a concern for the safety and security of University community members. Employees respond promptly to reports of potential safety or security hazards. Sidewalks and parking lots are well lighted and the University regularly replaces and installs lights to provide adequate illumination. The University encourages individuals to report safety and security hazards immediately by calling Facilities Maintenance. After normal working hours, hazards should be reported to Security, V/TTY 507-389-2111.
2. Policies and procedures for safe access to buildings:
   1. Keys are issued to authorized faculty, staff, students and outside individuals with University business only.
   2. Exterior building doors should not be blocked open when the doors are locked.
   3. Building evacuation is mandatory for all fire alarms.
   4. Individual academic buildings are normally open from 6:00 a.m. until after evening classes and for scheduled weekend classes and special events. Employees and students in buildings after normal working hours should have a University I.D. in their possession and present the I.D. when requested. Students must have a valid building pass accompanied by a picture identification card.
   5. In buildings that have outside windows, employees should close and lock them before leaving the building.
   6. On-campus telephones are located in most building hallways for emergency calls to Security.
   7. Problems related to people in buildings after hours should be reported to Security (V/TTY 389-2111) immediately.

3. Policies and procedures for safe access to residence halls:

   Minnesota State Mankato provides on-campus residence hall accommodations for approximately 3,200 students. Living in the residence hall is voluntary and students sign a contract for one academic year (or the remainder thereof) at a time. To live in a residence hall, a student must be enrolled for academic credit at the University. On rare occasions, an exception to the credit requirement may be approved by the Director of Residential Life.

   To encourage student interaction and promote a sense of community, the residence communities are divided into fifteen separate living communities. All residence communities are coeducational; men and women are housed primarily on separate floors with access limitations established through community standards. There are nineteen coeducational floors within the residence halls but assignment to these floors is voluntary and based on a student's request.

   1. Assignments. Students may indicate a preference for a roommate and a specific residential floor or residence community when submitting their residence hall contract. Student preferences are honored if space permits and if roommate requests are provided in the timeline established by Residential Life. If no preference is indicated or if limited space prohibits the honoring of a student's preference, the Department of Residential Life assigns students to roommates, floors or residence communities based on availability. All students have the opportunity to request changes in room assignments after the first ten days of each academic term. These requests are accommodated as space permits.
   2. Staffing. A student Community Advisor (CA) lives on each floor in the residence halls. Fifteen graduate assistants (Graduate Hall Directors) also live in the residence halls. The Graduate Hall Directors are supervised by full time Area Directors. Area Director positions require a Masters degree and previous experience in a student affairs assignment in higher education. Area Directors do not live in the residence halls.
   3. Duty Nights. Department of Residential Life staff provides "on-call" coverage at all times. Specific staff are assigned formally to be "on-duty" every night (7:00 p.m. - 7:45 a.m.) that the residence halls are open. There are at least two CAs on duty in each residence community each evening. Names of "on-duty" staff are posted in each residence hall and are available from the front desk. During their "on-duty" hours, Community Advisors periodically walk through the residence halls to provide assistance and confront/report any situations that may need resolution. Staff on duty contact Security in the event of an emergency.
   4. Training. All staff in the residence halls participate in extensive pre-service and in-service training in such areas as crisis intervention, use of campus/community resources and interpersonal relationships.
   5. Access to the Residence Facilities. The University's residence halls are open to residents, guests of residents, and other individuals having legitimate business reasons to be in the residence hall. A front desk area is staffed from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. each day. The Department of Residential Life employs student Overnight Safety Monitors to provide safety-related services in each residence community between the hours of 11:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m. each day. In addition guests of residents must be escorted by their resident host between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.. Residents are encouraged not to prop doors open and not to open these doors to anyone other than their guests between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.
   6. Access to Residence Hall Rooms. All rooms within the residence halls are equipped with a dead-bolt lock and door viewer (peephole) to allow residents to deny access to an individual until he/she has been identified and to contact Security/ Residential Life staff. Residents who lock themselves out of their rooms should contact their respective residence hall front desks.
   7. Guests. Residents are personally and financially responsible for the actions and personal behavior of their guests. Residents must inform their guests of University and department policies and procedures. Guests who violate policies and procedures are subject to restriction from the residence halls and the campus. Residents may host guests overnight with the approval of roommate(s). The length of stay may not exceed three consecutive nights without approval of departmental staff. If a guest stays more than the time approved, the resident may be held accountable for a violation of the guest policy through the student conduct process. Students who have had their residence hall contract terminated for disciplinary or financial reasons are restricted from the residence halls.
   8. Minimal Occupancy Periods. During periods of minimal occupancy, such as between academic terms, housing accommodations for residents who remain on campus are available. Residents are required to register and a fee will be charged for the Winter break. Residents are required to register for the Thanksgiving and Spring breaks, but no fee is charged. The residence halls are locked and access is given only to residents registered for the break period. These areas are staffed by Department of Residential Life personnel. Security is available to provide assistance on a 24 hour basis during periods of minimal occupancy.