The “Annual Security and Fire Safety Report” was released by the Department of Public Safety on Oct. 1, 2014 notifying the campus community of security reports, statistics, policies, and facilities available.
Within the document, a list of important contact numbers are given in the event of an emergency, as well as within the individual sections.
The report also describes the legalities and requirements of the university as it pertains to campus safety in its various forms especially within the Clery Act Requirements. These requirements were updated in 2013.
One such update occurred in March, 2013 with the signing of the Violence Against Women Re authorization Act of 2013 which included the bill known as the Campus Sexual Violence Elimination Act, which grants additional rights to campus victims of sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking as per amends of the Jeanne Clery Act.
These changes also require the university to compile statistics for certain crimes that are reported.
According to the report, “final regulations to implement the statutory changes to the Clery Act will not be effective until after the Department completes the rule making process. Until those regulations are issued, Wilkes University will make a good faith effort to comply with the statutory requirements in accordance with the statutory effective date.”
The statistics compiled are available within the report, as well as online.
Within the report, the authority of Public Safety officers is also noted and differentiated with the types of training officers undergo signifies, Act 120 and Act 135.
Types of crime, as well as the frequency, is also listed from 2011 through December 2013. Such offenses include murder, manslaughter, aggravated assault, arson, liquor-law violations, etc.
Campus crime prevention programs such as “Campus Advisory Reporting Extension” C.A.R.E, “S.A.F.E.”, Safe Escort Service, as well as programs in conjunction with Residence Life which are created throughout the year as listed and described.
Specific instructions on how to report a crime or emergency are also listed, stressing that all emergencies should automatically be notified by calling 911 and non-emergencies should be directed to Public Safety.
The campus community may be notified of incidents via the university email system, MyWilkes portal, and in some cases, through the text message system which can be signed up for online at https://www.e2campus.net/my/wilkes/signup.htm.
Rights and responsibilities relating to students who reside in university residence halls as it pertains to safety, and fire are also noted.
The university’s drug and alcohol policies and tolerances are also described. First year students are required to participate in education programs such as the MyStudentBody.com during the start of the semester. Those who fail to complete the course may be subject to fines. Students are also told to attend programs at orientation and during Welcome Weekend which further educate.
The report also goes in-depth on policy and procedure when reporting missing persons, the possession of firearms, sexual misconduct, support services, emergency response plans, and fire log statistics.
Physical copies of the annual report are available at the Department of Public Safety, Student Affairs, 2nd floor of Passan Hall and Admissions, Chase Hall, 1st floor.
