Campus Safety Resources – Albright College

Campus Safety Resources

Photo ID Cards

Every member of the Albright College community is issued a photo identification card which must be carried at all times. For students, this card allows access to their individual residence hall, the library, the dining hall, the Schumo Center, and the campus bookstore. It is also a means to ensure that only those with authorization are frequenting the campus. The cost for a lost or inappropriately damaged identification card is $20.00.

Access to Residence Halls

Access to the residence halls can only be accomplished through a photo identification/access card. This security feature is only as good as those who are willing to utilize it. Propping of doors or allowing access to the building to non-registered or unauthorized persons, jeopardizes the safety and integrity of the building and its occupants. Violators who prop doors are subject to a $300.00 fine and/or a disciplinary hearing.

Personal Property

All students should remember that the residence halls are not immune to theft or forced entry. It is, therefore, strongly recommended that students refrain from keeping large amounts of cash or other irreplaceable valuables in their rooms. The College does not assume responsibility for personal property lost or stolen. Room doors should be locked at all times, unless occupied. Replacement cost for lost or broken keys is $25.00.

Fire Safety & Prevention

Throughout the years, Albright College has taken the initiative to update many facility systems in order to provide a safe environment for students and staff.

There are electrical smoke detectors in each student room, which alarm locally.  The smoke detectors in the common areas are connected to the central alarm system (SimplexGrinnell), which in turn, is directly connected to the Reading City and Muhlenberg Township Fire Departments, in addition to the Department of Public Safety.  The local fire departments require two fire drills (evacuations) throughout the academic year.

Each residence hall has an assigned staff of Resident Assistants. These individuals receive training during the year and are required to conduct inspections of the residence halls, communicate safety concerns to hall residents during regularly scheduled meetings and to participate in scheduled fire drills.

The Reading City and Muhlenberg Township Fire Departments support various campus activities and works closely with the College for the continued improvements in the area of fire prevention.  The College does require the complete evacuation of buildings during any alarm event and will discipline/fine students for noncompliance.

During Orientation, students must participate in presentations on fire safety and prevention.  The presentations cover a variety of topics, including:

1.  Personal safety.

2.  Residence hall fire prevention and quick reporting.

3.  Emergency response.

 

What You Need to Know Ahead of Time …

1.  Several exit routes from your floor/area.

2.  The location of at least 2 pull stations

3.  Individuals in your area that may need assistance in getting to a safe area during an emergency.

 

If You Discover a Fire …

1.  Yell out “FIRE” as you are going to the pull station to alert others in the area.

2.  Call the Albright College Department of Public Safety at x7670 from a safe location.

 

If You Hear the Alarm Sounding in Your Building …

  1. Start evacuation procedures immediately.
  2. If you can do so without putting yourself at risk, rescue any injured individuals who may need assistance.  (Certain individuals in your building may need assistance with evacuation or getting to a safe location.)
  3. Close all doors behind you.  (This action helps to contain the fire to as small of anarea as possible.)  Never prop open fire doors.
  4. Use exit stairwells for evacuations.
  5. Assemble outside of the building in the pre-determined location for your floor/building.      Never go to another location during an evacuation.
  6. Move away and remain a safe distance from the building.  Do not re-enter the building until permitted by the fire department officials.

FIRE LOG

Since Albright College is an institution that maintains on-campus student housing, it must maintain a written, easily understood fire log that records, by the date the fire was reported, any fire that occurred in an on-campus student housing facility.  The fire log must include the nature, date, time and general location of each fire.

Any entry or addition to the fire log must be made within 2 business days of the receipt of the information.

Emergencies

All of the Public Safety Department Officers are CPR, First Aid, and Automated External Defibrillator (AED) certified. A defibrillator is available in the Public Safety Office, as well as other locations in the Bollman/Schumo Centers.

A member from the Gable Health and Counseling Center and a Public Safety Officer have been certified to teach CPR and AED training. They conduct required re-certification classes to the Public Safety Officers, and others who may require this training.

Prior to the start of the fall semester, all resident educators, which consists of Assistant Directors of Housing, are trained and certified in CPR.

The Public Safety Department will transport any student in need of emergency treatment to the hospital or to a physician’s office. The charge for this service is $25.00.

All emergencies, criminal acts, and various disciplinary issues are reported to and investigated by the Public Safety Department. On occasion, depending upon the severity of the situation, the Reading Police Department or the Muhlenberg Township Police Department are notified and become involved in campus related criminal activity. Both departments have an excellent response time to campus.

Emergency Response Short List

BOMB THREAT

  1. Do not attempt to handle a suspicious object.
  2. Contact Public Safety #311 by landline only. Don’t use a cell as it could detonate the device.
  3. Evacuate the area immediately.
  4. If you receive a call from an individual claiming a bomb has been placed on campus, attempt to get the location of device, when it will detonate and what it looks like.
  5. Do not attempt to handle a suspicious object. Stay back or away from an object or package at least 200 feet.

FIRE

  1. Activate fire alarm and/or warn others.
  2. Use a fire extinguisher if it is safe to do so.
  3. Evacuate the building (do not use an elevator). Do not reenter until told to do so.
  4. Call #311 for Public Safety.
  5. If caught in a smoke-filled area, stay low to the ground. Cover your face with your shirt.
  6. If possible, assist handicapped or advise emergency responders to assist.

HOSTILE INTRUDER

ALICE

A = Alert – Use plain/specific language to alert others to the danger. The alert should be given in a manner that informs as many as possible.
L= Lockdown – Barricade the room you are in and prepare for the next step to evacuate or counter if needed.
I = Inform – Gain as much information as possible to report to police.
C = Counter – Create noise, movement, distance and distraction to reduce the shooter’s ability to shoot accurately.
E = Evacuate – When safe to do so, remove yourself from the area of danger. If known that the individual is in a specific area of the building and you are locked down at a distance from that area, get out quickly.

Common Points

Call #311 P/S from a safe area
Do not open the door in a locked room.
Secure the door.
If confronted by intruder, work with others.
If you can’t exit turn out the lights.
Improvise weapons.

MEDICAL EMERGENCIES

  1. Life-threatening (heart attack, seizure), call 311.
  2. Stay on the phone with P/S until help arrives or you are told to disconnect.
  3. Non-life-threatening (sprains, cuts), call Public Safety #7670.
  4. Emotionally distressed or erratic behavior, call Public Safety #7670.
    1. Remain with the person unless you are threatened.
    2. Remain calm and offer comfort.
  5. Do not attempt to move an injured or ill person.

MISSING PERSON

  • Periodically, students have been reported missing to Public Safety – 7670.
  • Public Safety may contact Professors to determine the last time the student was in class.
  • If you have observed unusual behavior from a student and the student has not been in class for several days, contact Public Safety immediately – 7670.  A discrete check will be made to determine if the student is safe.
  • Whenever the health or safety of a student is in jeopardy, FERPA regulations do not restrict the passing of information.

SEVERE WEATHER

  1. Watch for e2Campus alerts, monitor the Albright webpage.
  2. Tornado – Seek safe shelter in the basement or an interior room on the lowest floor with no or minimal windows.
  3. Earthquake – If inside a building, drop under heavy furniture, cover your head, torso; hold on to the object you are under to remain covered. If outdoors, stay outside; go to an open area away from buildings and away from exterior walls. If outside, lie in a ditch or low-lying area or crouch near a strong building covering your head and neck.
  4. Thunderstorm – Remain indoors

Vehicle Registration / Parking Regulations

View the related policies here.

  • All requests must come through the Gable Health Center
  • Please make request at least 24 hours in advance, except for an emergency situation
  • Cost per transport:
    • Local trips =   $25.00 for round trip
    • Over 10 miles: charge will be at the discretion of the Director of Public Safety and/or  the Transportation Coordinator
  • All charges will be submitted to the student ’s account

Faculty, Staff and Administrators

  • Transportation is available for emergency situations
  • All employees are taken to Med Express for work-related emergencies; free of charge for emergencies
  • A charge for transportation will be submitted to the respective department for any follow up appointment requests

Educational Trips

  • Please submit request at least 2 weeks in advance
  • Appropriate form must be submitted to Transportation Coordinator
    • Trip registration form for SGA Van can be downloaded at here
  • Charges may apply for any trip out of the local area.

Club Trips

  • Please submit request at least 2 weeks in advance
  • Appropriate form must be submitted to Transportation Coordinator
    • Trip registration form for Academic Affairs Van can be downloaded at here
    • Trip registration form for SGA Van can be downloaded at here
  • Cost per trip:
    • $25.00 per hour for each driver needed
    • 43.5 cents per mile
  • Requests submitted that do not meet all above guidelines may be denied

Approval Process

  • All requests submitted will be reviewed by Transportation Coordinator
  • We cannot guarantee that all requests will be approved
  • Approval is subject to availability of officers and other scheduling commitments

Cancellation Policy

  • Please notify the Transportation Coordinator immediately in the event that you have to cancel a trip
  • Please notify our department at least 48 hours in advance from the time of your departure
  • If we do not receive adequate notice, you will be charged for ½ of the total amount of trip

Other Transportation Options

  • Barta Bus Schedule– http://www.bartabus.com/
  • Limo Service Information
  • Taxi Cabs in Berks County
    • Grab a Cab- 160 Water Street, Reading, PA 19605 (610) 478-1111
    • Reading Metro Taxi- 615 Elm Street, Reading, PA 19601 (610) 374- 5111

Contact Information

John McCormackJohn McCormack,
Transportation Coordinator
jmccormack@albright.edu

Message to the Transportation Coordinator
If you have a question or would like to leave a message for the Transportation Coordinator, please click here.