Safety and Security for the New Academic Year
Dear students and colleagues,
I am so excited to see everyone back on campus over the next two weeks — to say “Welcome!” to more than 500 new students in all of our programs, and “Welcome Back!” to all returning students, faculty and staff. There’s something about the opening of school that is always joyful, fun and full of hope — it’s my favorite time of year! (Well, next to commencement season!)
Next week you will be getting lots of messages about everything from your new classes to ordering books to your residence hall policies to the first soccer game and the many festive events around the orientation programs. Right now, I am sending this message before all of those come your way because we have to address a very important topic for everyone at Trinity: your safety and security both on campus and traveling about the city. While this topic is very sobering, I feel it’s necessary to put it right out on the table so we can make sure that we all stay safe this year.
Sadly, the District of Columbia has suffered a rise in crime this summer, including several homicides, carjackings and street robberies not far from our campus. Catholic University has been in the news for crimes on or near its campus. And then, just this week, we have very worrisome news stories about a flash mob of young people who terrorized Howard University students on Monday morning, seriously wounding one student and generally wreaking mayhem on that campus. We have also heard news stories about possible sexual assaults near Howard and Trinity, although we have no details on those cases other than the news item.
What affects other universities in our neighborhood also affects Trinity, and our Campus Safety Chief Andrea Glascoe and I have been in dialogue with our respective counterparts at the other universities to discuss action strategies to improve security and try to reduce the violence. CUA President Peter Kilpatrick visited Trinity recently and we discussed how we might mobilize more of the institutions along Michigan Avenue — the hospitals, the religious houses, the restaurants and shops — to develop a collaborative safety strategy. We also are in dialogues with Metropolitan Police about the various incidents and our need to have greater police presence in the neighborhood.
While we will continue to work on these strategies across institutions, we also want to make sure that our own policies and practices on campus at Trinity put safety and security first. Here are some of the steps we have taken or will be taking as school starts to make sure we keep everyone at Trinity as safe as possible:
- 100% ID REQUIREMENT — to come onto campus, enter buildings, and also to ride the shuttle to and from Metro. Please cooperate with this requirement. Knowing who is on campus, being able to take our time to access campus buildings, having this kind of screening is an appropriate safety protocol. Most perpetrators will not even try to come onto campus if they know we are checking everyone’s ID. [NOTE: If you don’t yet have your Trinity ID, or need a replacement, you can have access by showing other valid ID, e.g., a driver’s license. Enrollment Services and Campus Safety will be in the Payden Center during opening week to help you with getting cleared for your ID.]
- GUEST REGISTRATION — resident students will receive additional instructions on this, but it is a good practice for everyone to let Campus Safety know if you are expecting a visitor. In that way, the visitor’s access to campus goes more smoothly, and we are able to keep track of who is coming and going.
- CAR REGISTRATION — we are not requiring parking fees again this year for students but we do need you to register your cars and have stickers. This facilitates the campus access process and makes it possible for Security to keep an eye on who’s parking on the back lots.
- DO NOT PROP DOORS! — doors have locks for a reason, please do not subvert that reason. Use front doors for access when possible, and if you exit a side door please be sure it is shut and locked behind you.
- SEE SOMETHING SAY SOMETHING — ok, we hear this all the time, what does it mean? If you are on campus and see someone walking in a place that seems odd, it’s better to call Security and ask for a check-in rather than just looking the other way. Most of the time it’s harmless, but you never know. When in doubt, check it out (with Security, not on your own!).
- SECURITY: 202-884-9111 — be sure you have it on your phone for quick dialing.
- GET TEXT ALERTS: text trinitydcalerts to 866-925-2949 on your cell phone — we use this messaging system in emergencies.
- RIDE THE SHUTTLE: we strongly recommend taking the Campus Shuttle to and from the Metro station rather than walking on Michigan Avenue.
- BUDDY SYSTEM: please have a buddy when you go out, or if that’s not possible, please tell a friend where you are going and when you expect to return. That’s courtesy, and saves hours of worry when we start searching for you!
- CAMPUS ESCORT: you can always call Security for an escort if you would like someone to walk with you to your car or residence hall on campus. Also, if you are out in the city and run into trouble, please call Campus Safety and we will provide guidance and assistance to get you home safely.
Trinity Campus Safety is on duty 24/7/365 and the officers are trained in surveillance to watch for any intruders or suspicious activity. We have cameras all over, and in fact, we added a number of cameras recently. We also have the advantage of being a semi-closed campus, with access only through 2 driveways and fencing around the back of the campus.
Having said all of that, I know that safety and security are constant concerns – they are for me, to be sure! — and we are always looking for ways to improve. I welcome your comments and suggestions, and promise as well to keep you informed about anything that we learn about the safety situation in our neighborhood.
Let’s have a great and safe new school year!
Sincerely,
President Pat McGuire
