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Notes on Campus Safety The most valuable resource of any campus where you attend will be you, and all individuals who make up the campus community. We want you to feel safe as a student at your new university. At The University of Arizona, we place great importance and expend a great deal of resources creating a safe and secure campus environment. As at any university, we must balance achieving a safe environment while maintaining an open and accessible learning community. UA President Robert Shelton recently said that following a campus incident in 2004, “the UA took concerted steps to enhance safety and security on campus, as much as possible. The UA Campus Emergency Response Team (UA CERT) greatly strengthened its efforts, enhancing training, communication and conducting emergency exercises on campus. New policies were developed to better monitor threatening and disruptive behavior on campus, and threat-assessment teams were put in place to evaluate specific incidents. In addition, emergency training and table-top exercises were conducted in colleges and departments throughout campus. Further, internal and external communications systems were strengthened and numerous UA personnel completed National Incident Management System training, among many other efforts.” For added peace of mind, The University of Arizona Police Department is located on campus, and provides law enforcement and security services to the campus community. UAPD is not a private security agency, officers are fully state certified and have the same powers as any other police officer in the state. Additionally, as you tour our campus, you will notice blue emergency stations located throughout the campus. Because police officers cannot be everywhere at all times, the campus features 64 prominent blue beacons with emergency call buttons and phones. Pushing the call button or lifting the receiver puts you in instant contact with a police dispatcher. Help is a button-push away. According to President Shelton, “Although plans, policies and procedures are in place to make our campus as safe as possible, we know that universities pride themselves with being open institutions, encouraging the public to participate in the wide array of academic, cultural and entertainment offered at institutions of higher learning. We must remember that safety is not solely the responsibility of law enforcement or a select few, but is something for which we all must take responsibility. “ As in any situation you find yourself, your safety improves by being aware of your surroundings, knowing your neighbors, staying alert to potential danger, and taking the time to become involved in the lives of others who may be reaching out to you for help. Additional links
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