Safety and Security Policies

Accidents/Illness

The OSU Student Health Center, located on Farm Road across from Kerr, is open at designated times for general use. If an injury or illness is not too serious, go to the OSU Student Health Center to have it checked. This may prevent aggravation, infection, or other complications. Each student pays semester fees that allow for free exams by Health Center physicians.

Blue Emergency Phones

Over sixty Blue Emergency Phones are located at various locations throughout the main campus with an additional ten in the Greek Life community. These phones provide immediate, 24-hour contact with University Police dispatch in case of an emergency.

Building Security

All residents may enter and leave their buildings at any time. For security purposes, most exterior doors are locked at midnight Sunday through Thursday and at 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. If you return after these hours to buildings without card access, you must enter through a designated entrance. The doors are unlocked about 6 a.m. For those buildings with card access, the doors are available 24 hours a day provided you have the appropriate ID.

Students propping open locked doors are endangering fellow residents and will be dealt with appropriately. If you find unlocked doors or doors which are locked at the wrong hours, please notify the desk staff immediately.

Any unsafe situations you cannot correct, such as lights out in a stairwell, tripping hazards, etc., should be reported to a staff member as soon as possible.

Damage or Loss to Personal Property

Residents are urged to keep their rooms locked whenever they leave and while they are sleeping. The University cannot be responsible for any damage or loss of personal property due to facility failure, severe weather, theft, or other incidents. It is recommended you carry your own personal property insurance.

Emergencies

In the event of danger to life and/or property, room entry may be made by any authorized staff member or appropriate emergency personnel (i.e. fire safety, maintenance).

Fire Alarm Instructions
1. Wear a coat and shoes and carry a towel.
2. Close windows and leave lights on in room. Take room key.
3. Leave door closed and walk - DO NOT RUN - to exit. If smoke is encountered, STAY LOW for air.
4. DO NOT USE AN ELEVATOR.
5. If you need physical assistance in order to evacuate:
a. Call the Front Desk, OSU Police at 744-6523, or 911 and inform them of your needs and location.
b. Place cloth articles under the door if smoke is either seen or smelled.
c. Hang a towel out of the window, indicating to a person below that a person is in that room.
d. Await assistance in the room.
Fire Drills
For your protection and safety, announced and unannounced fire drills will be held two times per academic year. In order for you to become familiar with evacuation routes your cooperation is expected. Anytime the alarm sounds you must leave the building. Types of alarms are a continuous bell or pulsating horn which indicates a possible fire. Failure to leave may result in disciplinary action.

Holiday Decorations

Because of the extreme fire danger present with decorations during the holiday season, please note the following rules for everyone's safety: no live trees or live cut greenery are permitted in individual rooms, suites, apartments, community lounges, or corridors; noncombustible materials and UL approved electrical wiring are permitted in the rooms.

Decorations may be left in rooms or common areas unless the area will be vacated for an extended period of time.

Personal Safety

OSU boasts one of the safest campuses in the Big 12. OSU takes each student's safety very seriously, and provides security phones across campus, hall staff member(s) on duty in each hall 24 hours a day, and one of the fastest response times of any police department.

One of the most important factors in providing a safe environment is personal prevention. Students should lock their room/unit doors at all times, including when you are home and when you leave your room, even if it is just to walk down the hall for a minute or two.

Any guest to your room and/or hall should be escorted at all times. Always remember to be aware of your surroundings.

Also, when the building doors are locked, do not let anyone have access to the building by holding open the door or propping the door open. Many halls offer 24-hour desk services to provide additional supervision. Please be sure to remember your Student ID to gain entrance to building doors when they are locked.

Room Entry

In the event that civil authorities, including OSU Police, have cause to enter a student's room, it is outside the jurisdiction of the University to prevent entry and/or search.

It is sometimes necessary for a Residential Life staff member to enter a student's room (under no circumstances shall a resident enter another room without proper authorization). Staff is required to show ID if requested. Generally, this may occur under one of the following circumstances:

1. General welfare, health, and safety of the resident.
2. Under appropriate circumstances, to retrieve items upon request from the resident's immediate family.
3. To retrieve the personal belongings of another student where there is no apparent dispute as to ownership of the property and there would apparently be no undue infringement of privacy.
4. Under appropriate circumstances, to correct any situation intruding upon the comfort of the residents in the surrounding area. If entry is made for one of the above reasons, the staff member should leave an explanatory note in the room stating what took place, or in the case of entry into a large number of rooms, an explanation will be left with the Resident Assistant, Community Facilitator, Hall Director, or Residence Director.
5. Staff may conduct a general room inspection for safety and health reasons. Violation(s) of Residential Life or University rules will be noted and addressed after the break.
6. University Physical Plant or their representative may enter your room to provide maintenance or other related activities.
7. University Housing Staff may enter if there is reason to believe that a policy violation or law has or is being broken.

Severe Weather

In the event of severe weather you should stay tuned to a local radio station or any TV station for the latest report on conditions. Please follow these instructions:

1. Signals (Sounded on large sirens located in city and around campus) STORM: Steady blast for 3-5 minutes. TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY. FLOOD: High-low tone for 3-5 minutes (City siren only, campus not affected).
2. When the siren indicates you are to take cover, immediately proceed to a room without windows - a community lounge, community bathroom, or personal bathroom.
3. If you need assistance, please contact the OSU Police at 744-6523.
4. When assembled in a shelter area, sit on the floor with your back to the wall or in a central portion of the room. Stay away from windows and doors. If a storm strikes, you should duck your head between your knees and cover the back of your head with your hands for protection.
5. AT NO TIME will smoking be permitted in shelter areas.

Weather sirens are tested on the first Tuesday of every month, weather permitting. Smoke Detectors Each residence hall room is equipped with a smoke detector. The smoke detector in your room has been inspected prior to your arrival, and should be in good working order. You should have signed a verification form to that effect when you checked in to your room.

Solicitation Policy

Solicitation is initiating contact with students without their permission to discuss, sell, survey, or distribute goods or services. Individuals, organizations, or groups wishing to solicit within the residence facilities should contact the appropriate Residence Area Coordinator for further details.

Smoke Detector and Sprinkler System Abuse

Sprinkler systems have been installed for added safety in all residence facilities. To make the sprinkler system as effective as possible:

1. Sprinklers must never be painted;
2. Nothing may be hung from the sprinkler piping or sprinkler heads:
3. Sprinkler heads may never be obstructed or altered;
4. Nothing may be stored within 18 inches from the sprinkler head;
5. Frisbees, footballs, baseballs, etc., are not to be thrown in rooms, hallways, or other public areas.

If you discover any damage to the sprinkler system, please report it immediately to the desk.

Any malicious setting off of a sprinkler head or other tampering with the fire sprinkler system will result in stringent disciplinary actions by the University plus assessment of damage costs to the parties responsible.

By a mandate of the State Fire Marshal, an action plan has been adopted by OSU and Residential Life. Regulations are in effect regarding tampering with any fire safety equipment. This includes, but is not limited to smoke detectors, sprinkler heads, fire alarms, and fire extinguishers.

The first offense of tampering will result in the student(s) being assessed a fine of $250 (if the room is double occupancy, then each student will be assessed $250). The student(s) will also be placed on Residential Life probation, and receive an educational sanction.

On the second offense, a $500 fine will be assessed ($500 to each resident if double occupancy); the student(s) will be removed from Residential Life housing, and the contract(s) must be paid in full; an incident report will be forwarded to OSU Police Department and Environmental Health and Safety for a code violation ticket (potential fine of $5,000 and one year imprisonment); and student(s) will be referred to the Student Conduct Office.

A third offense will result in misdemeanor criminal charges (Title 74 O.S. 324.11aE) being filed, and/or suspension from the University.

It is possible to have more than one concurrent offense. For example, a battery missing from the smoke detector and not called in, the sprinkler head wrapped in a bandana, and the hall/corridor fire extinguisher in the room. Each violation could be considered a separate offense.

If at any time the smoke detector starts beeping periodically, it may mean that the battery is low. If this happens, please call the Action Desk at 744-7154, and they will send someone to replace the battery. Please do not replace the battery yourself.

All smoke detectors and batteries will be checked during an unannounced visit during each fall and spring semester. These checks will be conducted by a representative from either Residential Life or OSU's Environmental Health and Safety Department.

Tampering with Fire Protection Devices

A false fire alarm can endanger the safety and lives of fellow residents. Anyone found guilty of initiating a false alarm may be charged with a misdemeanor and fine.