Campus Communication, Safety Info Distributed to Students

From staff reports

The following information was distributed to students relative to campus communication, campus safety, etc. Although some may have received this information via the Report to the Faculty, it may also be useful to others on staff.

Campus Safety

Sweet Briar is committed to ensuring that students, faculty and staff have a safe, positive and enriching environment in which to study and work. During the summer, the College took the following steps to further enhance campus safety:

• Reviewed and updated emergency plans.
• Began installation of additional security cameras.
• Held an on-site review of campus spaces and procedures with the Amherst County Special Resource Tactical Team.
• Tested various campus-wide communication methods.
• Increased patrols to critical areas on campus.
• Completed an on-site survey with the Amherst and Monelison Fire and Rescue Squads.

Safety also is a matter of individual responsibility. Students, faculty and staff should know and follow these campus safety measures:

• The escort program remains available to and from parking lots, academic buildings, and residential areas on campus. Contact campus safety at Ext. 6144.
• Do not walk alone or with another person at night to the lake, entrance gate, or in dark or secluded areas of campus.
• Stay on walks and established paths and avoid walking near shrubbery.
• Avoid driving alone at night.
• Emergency phones are located throughout the campus — they have a blue light above them to distinguish them from regular phones. Emergency phones connect you to a SBC department of safety dispatcher.
• Dial Ext. 6111 if there is an emergency. Dial Ext. 6144 to reach the department of safety.
• Report all strangers or suspicious activities to a police or security officer by telephone or in person.

Additional safety tips are available at http://www.police.sbc.edu .

Campus Communication

Sweet Briar College has three primary mechanisms of official communication with students. Students are responsible for the information sent through these channels:

E-Mail

• Official communication from the College is sent via a number of e-mail announcement lists. Each student enrolled in the College is enrolled in these lists. These lists exist for each of the major administrative offices of the College. Each student is provided with a Sweet Briar e-mail account. Students are responsible for the information sent through the official e-mail channels.
• Responsibility includes receiving messages from faculty, campus employers, student government and clubs in which a student is active.
• Other announcement lists exist for communication of events on campus — Babcock Season, honors program, athletics, etc.

Telephone

• Each student is provided with a telephone in her residence and that phone has voice mail. Students must activate their voice mail and are responsible for messages received on the phone. Information on activating voice mail is available in the SBC telephone directory.
• Official communication sent via telephone includes notices of campus emergencies, communications from faculty and staff and notice of weather events.

Postal Mail

• Each student is provided with a U.S. Postal mail address and a campus mail box.
• Communications from the College may be sent through campus mail and/or U.S. mail. Such communications may include, but are not limited to: course notices, grade reports, billing information, employment documents, faculty notices and SGA and student organization notices.

In summary, as a Sweet Briar student, you have responsibility for the information sent to you from the College from the official communication channels. The College takes every reasonable measure to ensure that communications are concise and efficiently managed.