To All Members of the Shippensburg University Community,
This email is an annual notification to the Shippensburg University Community regarding safety and security on campus. Your attention to these issues will assist the institution in remaining in compliance with the federal law (specifically The Student Right to Know and Campus Security Act of 1990 or Clery Act), which governs these matters. More information about all of these topics can be found in the Campus Safety & Security/Fire Statistics 2020 Report found online at Shippensburg University – Safety Information
All members of the Shippensburg University Community are required to notify the SU Department of Public Safety (SUDPS), which includes the University Police of any situation or incident on campus that involves a significant emergency or danger, that may pose an immediate or ongoing threat to the health and safety of any campus member. Individuals may notify SUDPS and University police by calling 717-477-1444 or by activating any of the emergency phones located on campus, or by stopping by the SUDPS office in the Reed Operations Center. SUDPS is responsible for responding to such situations to assess the potential threat and for summoning the necessary resources to mitigate, investigate, and/or document any situation that may pose a significant emergency or danger.
Emergency Notification
If SUDPS determines that the situation does in fact, pose a threat to the community, University Communications is notified, and the campus community or the appropriate segments of the community are alerted. The Emergency Notification System utilizes various methods to provide emergency information quickly to the campus. Those methods include, but are not limited to: email messages, emergency text messages, phone messages, web site changes, indoor/outdoor public address system, emergency broadcast system, computer pop ups and social media sites.
Evacuation Procedures
Evacuation plans are posted in all academic buildings on every floor. The campus community is encouraged to become familiar with these plans in the event of an emergency evacuation. Additional information is available online at Shippensburg University – Evacuation Procedures.
The SUDPS maintains both crime and fire logs. These documents are available for public inspection 24-7 and are located in the police dispatch area of the SUDPS in the Reed Operations Center. The crime log lists all crimes reported to the University Police Department and the fire log provides information on fires that occur in residential facilities.
Campus Security Authorities (CSA)
The Clery Act requires SUDPS to provide statistics concerning the occurrence of certain criminal offenses reported to it or any official of the institution who is defined as a Campus Security Authority (CSA). By federal law, a CSA is defined as: “an official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student campus activities, including, but not limited to, student housing, student discipline, and campus judicial proceedings.” Examples of CSAs would include the Dean of Students, Residence Life and Housing Services, any student organization or activity advisor, athletic coaches, intramural sport advisors and medical health professionals. CSAs are trained annually regarding their responsibilities to report designated crimes: robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicle theft, arson, liquor law violations, drug violations, illegal weapons possession, and/or specific hate crimes, stalking, domestic violence and dating violence. Any individual may report a crime to a CSA. The CSA will then relay that information to the University Police Department via a special form provided to them.
Missing Students
If a member of the Shippensburg University community has reason to believe that a student who resides in on-campus housing is missing, he/she should immediately notify the University Police at 717-477-1444. The police will generate a missing person report and initiate an investigation, following the Missing Residential Student Policy. This policy is part of the Campus Safety & Security/Fire Statistics 2021 Report found online at Shippensburg University – Safety Information
