The Andrews University Department of Public Safety has implemented several changes and updates over the past few months. Additional initiatives, aimed to serve while fostering a safe campus, are also underway.
 
The latest addition to the new Department of Public Safety website is an online crime blotter (www.andrews.edu/services/safety/clery/blotter) which is a requirement of the Clery Act. The Clery Act is a federal law requiring colleges and universities to disclose certain timely and annual information about campus crime and security policies. The Clery Act also requires an annual report to include three years worth of campus crime statistics. This report is available to the public:  www.andrews.edu/services/safety/docs/safety_report.pdf.
 
The site also contains information on a variety of services provided by the Department of Public Safety in addition to patrolling duties, including personal ID of property, lock-out assistance and security escorts on campus. Other online tools include parking permit registration, a citation appeal form and a confidential reporting method.
 
A new feature has also been added to the 2008–09 Information Directory, courtesy of the Department of Public Safety. Pages 69–70 are dedicated to emergency information: emergency numbers, “In Case of an Emergency” directions and a customizable page for building manager specific information. This page (pg. 70) includes space to write-in the name, telephone number and office location of the building manager(s) in addition to the traditional emergency notification numbers for police, fire, ambulance and Public Safety.
 
Emergency Procedures Flip Charts are in production and will be distributed campus-wide to all building managers in the next few weeks. Building managers will be responsible for displaying this information in a central, easily accessible location. This flip chart contains step-by-step instructions for a variety of emergency situations such as severe weather, fire or general utility failure. The flip chart includes two customizable pages for building-specific information. Following the First Aid procedures, a space is provided to include the name, telephone number and location of individuals trained in First Aid. A similar page is available to write-in the contact information of each building manager(s).
 
In addition to all of these new safety tools, the Department of Public Safety also encourages the use of another tool already in place: Short Message Service (SMS), an emergency notification system that can send messages directly to your cell phone. All Andrews University employees and students are encouraged to visit www.andrews.edu/go/myems and configure their personal SMS notification preferences.

-Written by Keri Suarez, media relations specialist, Integrated Marketing & Communication