2023 Annual Security Report

Download 2023 Report (PDF)

Introduction

Campus Safety & Security: A Shared Responsibility at Puget Sound

Campus safety at University of Puget Sound is a shared responsibility among our students, faculty, staff, and visitors. Clearly, the best protection against campus crime is an aware, informed, alert campus community along with a strong security presence.

The vast majority of our students, faculty, staff, and visitors do not experience crime at the University of Puget Sound. However, despite our best efforts, crimes may occur. As part of our commitment to campus safety and security, we provide this annual report in compliance with the federal law: The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (“Clery Act”).

This report is meant to be useful to you. If you have concerns, questions, or comments about this report, about any of the federal or state law requirements, or about Puget Sound’s compliance with these laws, please contact the Director of Security Services at ​​​​​security@pugetsound.edu or at 253.879.3311. A paper copy of this information is available upon request.

Disclosure of Crime Statistics

The Clery Act is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose certain timely and annual information about campus crime and safety and security policies. The material that follows is designed to familiarize you with issues of safety and security at Puget Sound. The Security Services Department is responsible for preparing and distributing this report in collaboration with a number of other university departments and outside agencies, such as Title IX & Equal Opportunity, Student Affairs, Athletics, Residence Life, and the General Counsel & Risk Management, and the Tacoma Police Department to compile this information.

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities that receive federal funding to:

• Publish an annual report containing three years of crime statistics and certain campus security policy statements.
• Disclose crime statistics for the campus, public areas immediately adjacent to campus, and specific non-campus facilities. These statistics are gathered from campus security, local law enforcement, and other university officials who have significant responsibility for student and campus activities.
• Provide campus safety alerts pertaining to crimes that have been committed and pose ongoing threats to students and employees.
• Disclose in a public campus crime log any reported crime occurring on campus or within the patrol boundaries of the campus police or campus security department. The Security Services Department at University of Puget Sound maintains responsibility for preparing and distributing this report by October 1 of each year. The report is prepared in cooperation with other college departments and local law enforcement agencies. University of Puget Sound annual crime statistics can be viewed or copies of the report can be requested, via e-mail at security@pugetsound.edu, by calling the Security Services at 253.879.3311, or by viewing the report online at or by viewing the report online at https://www.pugetsound.edu/annual-security-report-clery.

Community Member Responsibilities Related to Campus Safety

The cooperation and involvement of students, faculty and staff in campus security is absolutely necessary. All members of the community must assume a part of the responsibility for their own personal safety and the security of their personal belongings.

Student, faculty and staff responsibilities include, but are not limited to:

• Taking reasonable precautions to ensure their own personal safety.
• Protecting the security of buildings and offices by not letting strangers in or propping doors open.
  • Locking offices and room doors.
  • Marking valuable items and recording serial numbers.
  • Locking vehicles and bicycles.
  • Participating in campus and college crime prevention programs.
  • Reporting all security-related maintenance problems.
  • Staying aware of campus crime trends (reading bulletins and statistics).
  • Reporting suspicious persons or activities to Security Services.
  • Reporting crimes promptly to Security Services.

In short, it is incumbent upon all members of the Puget Sound community to take proactive measures to protect themselves and their property. Remember, if you remove the opportunity, you eliminate the crime.

Reporting of Criminal Incidents

Members of the university community are encouraged to promptly report emergencies and criminal or suspicious activities to the Security Services by calling 253.879.3313 or dialing “3313” on any campus phone.

Prompt reporting of emergency, criminal, or suspicious activities will allow campus authorities to determine if a timely warning or emergency notification is an appropriate course of action and for accurate annual statistical disclosure. The Security Services Department can serve as a liaison between students or employees and the Tacoma Police Department, located a short distance away. Security Services encourages students and employees to file reports with the Tacoma Police Department, particularly in the aftermath of a severe or sensitive incident. Tacoma Police will respond to campus and assist in investigations of alleged criminal offenses coordinated closely with the Security Services Department.

Suppose you are the victim of a crime or breach of university policy and do not want to pursue action within the university’s Rights and Responsibilities process or the criminal justice system. In that case, you may still want to consider making a confidential report. With your permission, the Director of Security Services or any CSA can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your identity. The purpose of a confidential report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential while taking steps to ensure a safe environment for you and others going forward. With such information, the university can keep an accurate record of the number of incidents involving our community, determine whether there is a crime pattern concerning a particular location, method, or assailant, and alert the campus community to potential danger. Reports filed in this manner are counted and disclosed in the annual crime statistics for the university. Pastoral and counseling staff members must report crimes to the university’s designated officials for statistical purposes only and must inform their clients that they are obligated to report.

Security Services, Student Affairs (including Residence Life), Human Resources, and our Title IX Coordinator/Equal Opportunity Officer investigate campus crimes and complaints involving faculty, staff members, and students. If, after investigation, a violation of a campus policy, rule, or regulation is determined to have occurred, appropriate sanctions or corrective actions are implemented, consistent with the relevant university policies. In those cases, Student Affairs staff are responsible for sanctioning students; Human Resources staff work with department supervisors or the Provost’s Office to sanction faculty and staff members as appropriate.

Campus Security Authority (CSA)

Under the Clery Act, a crime is considered to be reported when a victim, witness, other third party, or even the offender brings it to the attention of a Campus Security Authority (CSA), Safety and Security Officer, or local law enforcement personnel. It does not matter whether or not the individual/s involved in the crime or reporting the crime are associated with the university. If a CSA receives the crime information and believes it was provided in good faith, they should document it as a crime report and provide this report to the Director of Security Services. In “good faith” means there is a reasonable basis for believing that the information is not simply rumor or hearsay.

Responsible Employees

The university has classified most employees as Responsible Employees, which means they are expected to promptly report to the Title IX Coordinator any knowledge they have that a University Community Member is experiencing sex-based discrimination, sexual harassment, other sexual misconduct, or retaliation; however, Responsible Employees are not required to report information disclosed at public awareness events (such as “Take Back the Night,” protests, “survivor speak-outs,” or other public forums in which students or employees may disclose incidents of prohibited conduct).

Responsible Employees include all university faculty and staff, with the exception of those identified as a confidential or privileged resource. Student staff and student leaders are not considered Responsible Employees while performing in these roles unless their job descriptions or student leadership agreements specifically identify this responsibility.

Reporting Exceptions

There are two (2) individuals who, although they have significant responsibilities for student and campus activities, are not considered CSAs under Clery. They are pastoral counselors and professional counselors. A pastoral counselor is defined as a person who is associated with a religious order or denomination, is recognized by that religious order or denomination as someone who provides confidential counseling, and is functioning within the scope of recognition as a pastoral counselor. A professional counselor is defined as a person whose official responsibilities include providing mental health counseling to members of the institution’s community and who is functioning within the scope of his or her license or certification. This definition also applies to professional counselors who are not employees of the institution, but are under contract to provide counseling at the institution.

Although pastoral counselors and professional counselors do not have to report crimes that are brought to their attention, while serving in an official capacity, they are encouraged to inform their client(s) of the procedures to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual disclosure of crime statistics.

Daily Crime Log

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to keep a daily crime log. This daily log provides information about reported criminal or alleged criminal activity occurring on campus or in the surrounding areas. This log includes incident classification, report number, reported date and time, occurrence date and time, location of the incident, and disposition; it does not include any identifying information about persons involved in an incident.

The Security Services Department is responsible for maintaining this log for the university and ensuring that it is updated within two business days of being notified of an incident.

To view the Daily Crime Log for the most recent 60-day period, please visit the Security Services Department in McIntyre Hall during business hours (Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.).

The fire log is also available at the Security Services Department.

The Security Services Department retains both the Daily Crime Log and the Fire Log for seven years. Requests for records that are more than 60-days old will generally be fulfilled within two business days.

Department of Security Services

The safety and security of the University of Puget Sound community and guests are a primary concern of the university and a principal responsibility of the Security Services Department.

Fully trained security officers and dispatchers are on duty 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

We want our students, faculty, staff, and visitors to be safe on campus. That’s why we provide 24/7 campus security. We patrol the campus regularly, enforce university policies, and continually assess our safety and security practices, policies, and requirements.

• Non-police security staff members responsible for monitoring university property;
• Staff members/offices designated under Puget Sound policy as those to whom crimes should be reported; or
• “Officials with significant responsibility for student and campus activities”.

Authority of Security Services

University of Puget Sound Security Services Staff have the authority to ask persons for identification and to determine whether individuals have lawful business on campus grounds. Campus Safety Officers also have the authority to enforce campus rules and regulations, as well as issue parking tickets, which are billed to the financial accounts of students. Our Campus Safety Officers do not have powers of arrest. Criminal incidents are referred to the Tacoma Police Department or other law enforcement agencies that have jurisdiction on the campus. The Security Services Department reports to the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Students.

All crime victims and witnesses are strongly encouraged to immediately report any crime to the Security Services. Prompt reporting will assure timely posting of warning notices on campus and timely disclosures of crime statistics.

Security Services Trainings

Campus Safety Officers at the University of Puget Sound have experience and receive on-going training in the areas of campus safety and security. In-service workshops are conducted to ensure a prompt, professional response to incidents. Topics include patrol techniques, report writing, emergency preparedness, and first aid certification. Campus Safety Officers provide a highly visible security presence through frequent patrols of and through the campus. They are also available to respond and aid during emergency situations. All Officers receive training in Incident Command, Sexual Assault and Dating Violence Response, Active Killer, Bomb Threat, First Aid, CPR, AED, and Bloodborne Pathogens.

Security Services Patrols

The Security Services Department’s Patrol Unit consists of a vehicle and foot patrol, both of which help ensure the safety of the Puget Sound community.

Vehicle Patrol

Vehicle patrol allows Campus Safety Officers to respond promptly to emergency calls and ensure the safety of all community members. Patrol officers can respond quickly to reports of suspicious activity, and also respond quickly to requests for assistance ranging from disabled motorists to providing a safe walk to a campus community member’s vehicle.

Foot Patrol

Foot patrol allows the Campus Safety Officers to offer security in and around university buildings and grounds. It also allows patrol officers to establish positive community relations with the university community.

Building Access and Security

Security Services, through key control and card access, regulates building use. Video surveillance cameras are used in many non-private campus areas to deter, observe, and investigate reported unusual or suspicious activity. Academic facilities have exterior electronic locks that secure buildings at varying times depending on building use schedules. Only authorized campus members can access facilities when they are secured.

All student housing provided by the university is on campus and residence halls are secured 24-hours a day. Only Residence Hall Students with keycards can gain swipe access to our residence halls. Security Services and Residence Life staff members regularly patrol living areas to check for propped or unsecured doors. Areas rendered un-securable by damage or equipment failure are repaired on a high-priority basis.

Security Services Resources and Safety Initiatives

Campus Parking

On-campus parking: On-campus parking is available to Puget Sound students, faculty, and staff at no cost. All student, staff, and faculty cars are to be properly licensed as well as registered with Security Services, and a current academic year sticker must be displayed on the car when it is parked on campus. While parked on campus, vehicles should be locked without any personal property or valuables in plain sight. Resident students may only maintain one vehicle on campus. The university assumes no risk from damage to any vehicle that occurs on campus.

No parking areas: No vehicle shall be parked in any unauthorized area which includes, but is not limited to, crosswalks, blue handicapped parking stalls or the areas to the left and right of these stalls marked in yellow lines, red fire lanes, or any space marked ‘No Parking’; nor shall any unauthorized vehicle be parked in a space marked with a sign for a particular individual.

Inoperable vehicles: Vehicles which have been damaged, have a flat tire, or are not in running condition must adhere to parking regulations and must be removed from the campus within 72 hours or as instructed in writing by Security Services. We ask that community members report inoperable vehicles immediately to Security Services at 253.879.3311. Continual violations may result in towing.

Campus Upkeep

Campus lighting is another important part of the University of Puget Sound commitment to safety and security. Campus Safety Officers perform light inspections and report any lights not working correctly to our facilities team.

Landscaping on campus is maintained by trimming shrubbery and trees to enhance safety and security. The staff of both the Security Services and Facilities Department inspects campus facilities regularly. Any conditions which affect the safety and security of the campus such as broken windows or locks, burned-out lights, and malfunctioning fire safety equipment are reported and repaired immediately.

Clean Car Campaign

We have learned through experience that many thefts from the parking lots are simply opportunity thefts. Catching these opportunistic thieves is difficult, so a different approach is required. We ask everyone to put effort into a "Clean Car" initiative:

By removing all visible valuables from your vehicle before leaving your vehicle will reduce the odds of your car being illegally entered by nearly 95%! Additionally, please help us minimize theft by reminding other students, co-workers, visitors, and friends to remove ALL items from their cars!

Crime Prevention and Awareness Efforts

The university engages in a range of activities to help prevent crimes on campus. As examples, personal safety, resource information, and property protection literature is available at Security Services. Security Services also assists students with engraving personal property and an engraver is available for loan at the Security Services Department office. Community members are encouraged to register bicycles with a university-supported registration program.

Safe Walk Program

Safe Walk is a Security Services Crime Prevention Program designed to assist the University of Puget Sound Community by providing walking escort services from one campus location to another. Campus Safety Officers and Campus Safety Assistants provide the escort as needed. Any member of the Puget Sound Community who desires this added level of security and safety.

Safe Walks are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

• Contact the Security Services Department by dialing “3311” on any campus phone or by calling 253.879.3311 on your cell phone to request a Safe Walk escort.
• Give your destination and where the Campus Safety Officer or Assistant can meet you.
• Please be at the location when the Campus Safety Officer arrives. The officer may wait for a few minutes, but a "No Show" will negatively impact the ability we have to provide this service in a prompt and efficient manner.

Tips for being safe while walking around campus:

• Make sure your cell phone is easily accessible and fully charged.
• Be aware of open buildings where you can use a phone.
• Take major, public paths rather than less populated shortcuts.
• Avoid dimly lit places and talk to the Director of Security Services if lights need to be installed in an area.
• Avoid putting music headphones in both ears so that you can be more aware of your surroundings, especially if you are walking alone.
• Walking back from the library very late at night is sometimes unavoidable, so try to walk with a friend or contact Safety and Security for a Safe Walk.
• Carry a noisemaker (like a whistle) on your keychain.
• Carry a small flashlight on your keychain.
• Know the locations of our campuses Emergency Blue Lights

Safety Tips for On and Off Campus

• Always keep your doors and windows locked. Never leave personal property unattended.
• If possible, let a friend or roommate know where and with whom you’ll be and when you’ll return.
• Trust your instincts! If you feel uncomfortable about someone near you on the street, in an elevator or getting off a bus, head for a populated place or yell for help.
• Use well-lit and busy sidewalks.
• Avoid walking alone or walking near vacant lots, alleys, construction sites, and wooded areas. Contact the Security Services Department for a Safe Walk when walking alone on campus.
• Carry a cell phone, whistle or a personal alarm to alert people that you need help. Remember to program your cell phone with the Security Services Department’s phone number 253.879.3311
• Attend an educational course sponsored by the Security Services Department and learn what can be done to avoid vulnerability to crimes like sexual assault, relationship violence, and stalking.
• Try to park in an area that will be well-lit and heavily traveled when you return.
• Lock your car doors and roll up the windows completely, even if you’re only running a quick errand. Do not leave valuables in plain view
• If you choose to drink, drink legally and responsibly. Remember that your ability to respond is diminished by over-consumption of alcohol.
• Stay alert at all times and call the Security Services Department immediately to report suspicious activity.
• Listening to loud music, wearing headphones or using your cell phone distracts you from being alert to potential safety issues. Unplug yourself and tune into your immediate environment.
• When driving, be aware of pedestrians and bicyclists and yield to them when required by law.
• Follow all rules of the road when driving a car, riding a bike or using other forms of personal transportation such as rollerblades, skateboards or scooters.
• Get to know your roommates and neighbors. Encourage checking on each other often.
• Please report any safety hazards, unsafe lighting, and defective equipment.

New Hire Orientation

During new hire orientation, the Director of Security Services, along with the Title IX Coordinator, provides information to new staff and faculty members as it relates to safety and security on campus as well as what it means to be a mandatory reporter as it relates to sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. Our Title IX Coordinator now also reviews our Title IX Policy with all new staff and faculty members.

Sex Offenses, Domestic and Dating Violence, and Stalking Training

Comprehensive education and prevention programs that inform the university community about the risks and myths that contribute to sexual assaults, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking. The University of Puget Sound utilizes Vector Solutions to provide this yearly required session to all students, staff, and faculty.

Warning Signs of Abusive Behavior and Future Risk

No survivor is ever to blame for being assaulted or abused. Unfortunately, a person who is the survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence or dating violence is more likely to be re-victimized. Below are some tips to help reduce your risk, recognize warning signs of abusive behavior and avoid potential attacks.

Domestic and dating abuse often escalates from threats and verbal abuse to violence. And, while physical injury may be the most obvious danger, the emotional and psychological consequences of domestic and dating violence are also severe. Warning signs of dating and domestic violence include:

• Being afraid of your partner.
• Constantly watching what you say to avoid a “blow up.”
• Feelings of low self-worth and helplessness about your relationship.
• Feeling isolated from family or friends because of your relationship.
• Hiding bruises or other injuries from family or friends.
• Being prevented from working, studying, going home, and/or using technology (including your mobile phone).
• Being monitored by your partner at home, work or school.
• Being forced or pressured to do anything you don’t want to do.

Help Reduce Your Risk and Avoid Potential Attacks

• If you are being abused or suspect that someone you know is being abused, speak up or intervene.

Get help by seeking information and support services from our Title IX Coordinator.

Bystander Intervention Training

Bystander Intervention Training empowers and mobilizes participants to recognize, intervene, prevent and/or stop inappropriate comments, actions, and behaviors. The entire campus community plays a valuable role in preventing acts that violate the basic dignity of an individual

Sexual Assault Prevention

• Be aware of rape drugs.
  • Try not to leave your drink unattended.
  • Only drink from unopened containers or from drinks you have watched being made and poured.
  • Avoid group drinks like punch bowls.
  • Cover your drink. It is easy to slip in a small pill even while you are holding your drink. Hold a cup with your hand over the top, or choose drinks that are contained in a bottle and keep your thumb over the nozzle.
• If you feel extremely tired or drunk for no apparent reason, you may have been drugged. Find your friends and ask them to leave with you as soon as possible.
• If you suspect you have been drugged, go to a hospital and ask to be tested.
• Keep track of how many drinks you have had.
• Try to come and leave with a group of people you trust.
• Avoid giving out your personal information (phone number, where you live, etc.). If someone asks for your number, take their number instead of giving out yours.

Off-Campus Efforts

Although not directly responsible for off-campus security, the University of Puget Sound and Security Services Department works closely with the Tacoma Police Department in monitoring the neighborhood surrounding our campus. We utilize local law enforcement to monitor the activities at any non-campus locations.

When responding to criminal incidents (both on campus and off) that involve or affect the university, the Tacoma Police Department routinely advises the Security Services Department for informational and/or follow-up purposes.

Other Prevention and Awareness Training Offered

• Narcan Training
• Alcohol Awareness and Prevention Training
• Consent Training
• What are our Confidential Resources on Campus
• Student and Peer Allies training on impacts of Trauma
• Sex Therapist Workshop: Skills development around affirmative consent and healthy boundaries/communication
• CPR, AED, and Basic First Aid Training
• De-escalation Training
• Trauma Support Group “Getting Past your Past”

Campuswide Emergency Response

Practicing emergency response is critical to individual and institutional preparedness. Each year, Security Services and Risk Management coordinate two campus-wide drills. During our fall semester, we operate a lockdown drill; our primary drill objectives are to practice and test our emergency communications, campus lockdown procedures, and success in hiding in place. During our spring semester, we conduct a campus-wide evacuation drill. Evacuation drills help ensure that integrated safety equipment works correctly and that students, faculty, and staff are familiar with emergency notification methods and response procedures.

These exercises and trainings help prepare our Puget Sound community for potential circumstances involving a violent act, threat, emergency or natural disaster on or near campus.

Emergency Response Plans

Campus emergency response plans are posted at pugetsound.edu/emergency. The university has a designated Emergency Operations Center (EOC) and temporary shelters on campus. Meetings and exercises are periodically conducted involving members of the university’s Emergency Response Group and the Emergency Policy Council. University representatives conduct ongoing emergency planning with the Pierce County Department of Emergency Management and City of Tacoma Police and Fire departments. At the beginning of each semester, the university schedules and practices a campus-wide emergency drill (alternating between campus lockdown and evacuation). Prior to the drill, the campus community is reminded about posted emergency response procedures. Additionally, the Director of Security Services regularly meets with administrative and academic departments to review campus and department emergency response procedures.

Tabletop Exercises

University of Puget Sound conducts department and campus-wide tabletop exercises throughout the year. The tabletop exercises are a meeting to discuss a simulated emergency situation. Members of the university’s Emergency Response Group and Emergency Policy Council review and discuss the actions they would take in a particular emergency, testing the university’s emergency plan in an informal, low-stress environment. Tabletop exercises are used to clarify roles and responsibilities and to identify additional campus mitigation and preparedness needs. The exercise should result in action plans for continued improvement of the emergency plan.

Automatic External Defibrillators (AED)

Puget Sound has carefully placed 24 Phillips automated external defibrillators (AEDs) throughout its campus. The authorized (AED) program enables targeted responders in a campus setting to deliver early defibrillation to patients experiencing a sudden cardiac arrest. Responders’ use of the AED does not replace the care provided by professional emergency medical services (EMS) providers. Still, it is meant to provide a lifesaving bridge during the first few critical minutes for advanced life support providers to arrive. Upon the arrival of EMS providers, patient care will be transferred.

Campus Safety Officers perform daily inspection checks:

• The green “indicator light” represents active
• The red “indicator light” means inactive

Lead Campus Safety Officer performs Monthly Inspection checks:

• Visual reviews of the unit and the alarm cabinet.
• Verify the battery and pads are within the expiration date.
• Inspect emergency supplies (nitrile gloves, razors, scissors, el
• Perform the AED Unit’s Self-Diagnostic Test.

Emergency Notifications and Timely Warnings

Disseminating information and fostering awareness are essential to effective emergency response and crime prevention. The university strives, without significant delay, to inform the college community about potentially dangerous situations, immediate threats to health or safety, and major incidents involving crimes against persons (including reported sexual assaults) and property so they may take measures to avoid potential harm. Emergency Notifications and Timely Warnings (Security Alerts) can be communicated immediately via an outdoor loud-speaker system and a campus mass emergency notification system with voice, text, and email capabilities. Emergency messaging is prepared by Security Services, Risk Management and/or the Office of Communications. Campus emergency communication systems are tested monthly by Security staff members.

Timely Warning Policy

The University of Puget Sound wants to ensure that all students and staff are aware of any threats that may risk the campus community (i.e., a rash of a specific crime or outbreak of a severe illness). To ensure that notification is provided and compliance with the Clery Act, the university issues timely warnings whenever necessary. Puget Sound and the Security Services Department is responsible for providing timely warnings to the campus community and providing the warnings to aid in preventing similar crimes. The Security Services Department will retain copies of all issued timely warnings.

Security Services must issue Timely Warnings to the Campus Community under certain circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to:

• Criminal Homicide and non-negligent manslaughter
• Negligent manslaughter
• Sex offenses, including fondling, incest, rape, and statutory rape
• Aggravated Assault
• Burglary
• Motor vehicle theft
• Arson
• VAWA crimes, which includes any incidents of domestic violence, dating violence and stalking.
• Hate crimes which involve any of the above-mentioned offenses, and, in addition, any incidents of larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, and any other crime involving bodily injury, or destruction/damage/vandalism of property that were motivated by bias. Hate crimes will be reported by the following applicable category of prejudice: those crimes that manifest evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the victim’s actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, disability, national origin or gender identity.
• Arrest and referrals for disciplinary action for weapons (including carrying and possession); drug abuse violations; and liquor law violations.
• Any other offense that the Director of Security Services designates would benefit the campus community.

The University of Puget Sound will issue Timely Warnings to the campus community with information necessary to make informed decisions about their health and safety. This applies to all on-campus property, public property, and non-campus buildings:

On Campus; Any building or property owned or controlled by an institution within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner related to, the institutions educational purposes, including residence halls and any building that is within or reasonably contiguous to the above, that is owned by the institution but is controlled by another person.

Public Property; All property, including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities that is within the campus, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus.

Non-Campus Buildings or properties; Any building or property owned by or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution; or any building or property owned or controlled by an institution that is used in direct support of, or in relation to, the institution’s purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution.

The Timely Warnings shall be published and distributed by four methods;

1. Via text message to all members of the campus community.
2. Via email with the following in the subject line: “Puget Sound Crime Alert – [Nature of Incident]” to all students, staff, and faculty. Individuals shall do this with access to the Text Alert Service: Director, Assistant Director, Operations Manager, or Vice President for Student Affairs.
3. Posted on the Security Alerts & Emergency Communications section of the Security Services website.
4. Posted on the Security Services’ Facebook Page.

The Timely Warnings will provide the following information if possible;

• A succinct statement of the incident.
• The date which the alert was issued.
• Physical description of the suspects.
• Other relevant and important information.

Unless stated, the timely warnings shall expire after two weeks. If necessary, the warnings may be extended for a longer period of time. Copies of all timely warnings will be kept in the Security Services Office for up to seven years.

Emergency Notifications Policy

The University of Puget Sound and the Security Services Department must issue an Immediate Emergency Notification to the Campus Community under certain circumstances. These circumstances include, but are not limited to:

• Outbreak of meningitis, norovirus, or other serious illness
• Approaching forest fires or extreme weather conditions
• Earthquake
• Volcanic Hazards
• Gas leak
• Shelter-in-place for any environment issue
• Terrorist incident
• Armed intruder
• Bomb threat
• Civil unrest or rioting
• Explosion
• Campus Fire

Emergency notifications are triggered by a far broader range of potential threats than a Timely Warning. Emergency notification will be issued when there is any significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees on the University of Puget Sound campus.

This could overlap and include a Clery crime, such as shooting. Still, it also covers offenses not reportable under Clery and non-criminal incidents, such as an outbreak of an infectious illness, an impending weather emergency, or a gas leak. Notifications are to be issued without delay upon confirmation of the emergency by responsible authorities pre-identified by the institution in their annual Clery Act reports.

Puget Sound is required to immediately notify the campus community upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on the campus. An “immediate” threat as used here encompasses an imminent or impending threat, such as an approaching hazard as well as a fire in one of our buildings.

Emergency Warnings shall be published and distributed by four methods:

1. Sent via text message to all members of the campus community.
2. Sent via email with the following in the subject line: “Puget Sound Emergency Alert – [Nature of Incident]” to all students, staff, and faculty. Individuals shall do this with access to the Text Alert Service: Director, Assistant Director, Operations Manager, or Vice President for Student Affairs.
3. Posted on the Security Alerts & Emergency Communications section of the Security Services website.
4. Posted on the Security Services’ Facebook Page.

Emergency notifications will provide the following information if possible:

• A succinct statement of the incident
• The date which the alert was issued
• Physical description of the suspects
• Other relevant and important information.

Copies of all Emergency Notifications will be kept in the Security Services Office for up to seven years.

Coverage

This policy's reporting expectations and procedures apply to all University of Puget Sound students, faculty, and staff. Other expectations apply to Security Services, Residence Life employees, and related departments.

Definitions

As used in this policy:

Missing: A university student who has not been seen or made any contact with any other individual, and the person’s absence is contrary to their usual pattern of behavior or unusual circumstances may have caused the absence. A university residential student is determined to be “missing” when a missing person report investigation concludes that the student has been absent from the university for a period of twenty-four hours or longer without any known reason. The Director of Security Services or designee in conjunction with Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students will make the official determination of whether a student is deemed missing.

On-Campus Housing: the housing facilities (halls, apartments, and houses) located on the University of Puget Sound property that university students may live in.

University Student: includes all persons registered for a course or courses at the university, either full-time or part-time, pursuing undergraduate or graduate studies and/or taking classes in an auditing or non-matriculant capacity. A person pursuing studies at Puget Sound is considered a student until such time that all necessary coursework has been completed, final grades have been posted, and, for degree-seeking students, the degree has been conferred.

Option to Designate Confidential Contact Person(s)

Under federal law, the University of Puget Sound must allow resident students to confidentially provide the name and telephone number of the person(s) that the university can contact should they be deemed missing. Within University systems, ‘confidential contact’ is listed as ‘Emergency Contact’.

As part of its address verification process, the university asks all students to provide this confidential contact information when they register for classes . In addition, resident students are also notified of this opportunity by Residence Life at the beginning of each semester. Students can provide or change this information by logging into myPugetSound, visiting the “Personal Information” section, and adding or updating their “Emergency Contact/s.” The contact information provided in this section will be confidential and accessible only to authorized campus officials. It may not be disclosed except as authorized by law, including disclosure to law enforcement personnel in the furtherance of a missing person investigation. If a student under the age of 18 is determined to be missing, the university is required to notify a custodial parent or guardian no more than 24 hours after the student is determined to be missing.

Reporting a Missing Student Who Resides On Campus

Any student, faculty, or staff member shall immediately notify Security Services at 253-879-3311 if they have reason to believe that a student who resides in on-campus housing has been missing for 24 hours or has been missing for less than 24 hours under concerning circumstances, including but not limited to the students medical condition, the location where the student was last seen, weather, the possibility that the student is a potential victim of foul play or reasons to believe the student may be a danger to themselves or others.

Reporting a Missing Student Who Resides Off Campus

Any student, faculty, or staff member concerned that a student who resides off campus may be missing is strongly encouraged to notify Security Services immediately.

How to Make a Report

To report a missing person to the University of Puget Sound, call Security Services at 253.879.3311. A person making a report should try to provide as much information as possible about the missing student, including (if known) name, age, address, date, time and location the missing person was last seen, medical condition, any physical or intellectual disabilities, any circumstances related to the person’s absence, and a physical description.

Departmental Responsibilities

Security Services

• Security Services is the department that is primarily responsible for the investigation and response coordination for missing University Students who live in on-campus housing.
• Security Services is also the university’s liaison to assist the primary law enforcement agency with jurisdiction for investigating missing students, regardless of whether the student lives on or off campus. As appropriate, Security Services will consult and seek assistance from other university departments for law enforcement agencies in a missing student case.
• The Director of Security Services and the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Students will confer and determine if and when the CARE or TABIT team is notified of a missing student.

Residence Life Responsibilities

• If Residence Life is contacted concerning a resident student who is missing, Residence Life will gather preliminary information and notify Security Services.
• Residence Life will ensure that all Residence Life staff are trained on their obligation to notify Security Services of a missing student.

Security Services Response and Investigation

When a missing student report is made to Security Services, Security Services will commence an investigation, including a reasonable search based on available information. At a minimum, a proper investigation will include gathering information from the person who made the report, attempting to contact the missing student via phone, text, and email, and for on-campus students, performing a health and welfare check in the student’s room.

Depending on the circumstances, a reasonable search may include (but is not limited to) review of dorm access and meal swipe history, security camera review, area search, and speaking with roommates or others. Security Services may engage other university offices, as appropriate, concerning this investigation.

If a student is officially deemed missing:

• The Director of Security Services will:
  • Notify local police or other appropriate law enforcement. The Security Services Department will work closely with local law enforcement regarding any investigation.
  • If the missing University Student is under the age of 18, Security Services will also contact the student’s custodial parent or legal guardian no later than 24 hours after the student is determined to be missing.
• The Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students will:
  • Notify the designated emergency contact(s) for the missing University Student. If an emergency contact confirms recent contact, the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students will advise them that the University Student should connect with someone within the Center for Student Support Team for support.
  • Inform other College departments, such as the Registrar and Department Chair of the courses in which the student is enrolled, as needed; and
  • Initiate whatever other action is deemed by the university to be appropriate and in the best interest of the missing student under the circumstances.
  • Notify the Center for Student Support so they are prepared to provide assistance and resources to the student once they are located.
• If the student lives off-campus, the Director of Security Services and the Vice President for Student Affairs and the Dean of Students will coordinate to notify the missing student’s confidential contacts within 24 hours. If there is no response, Security Services will contact the police based on the investigation and direct the reporting party to contact the police department where the person was last seen.
• Security Services, with the support of Residence Life, will secure any vehicles, computers, residence hall rooms, or other personal belongings of a missing resident student that are located on campus.

In the event that we need assistance in locating a residential student the Director of Security Services, a Senior Associate Dean of Students, and the Director of Residence Life will coordinate to notify the local police department and confidential contacts within 24 hours.

Police and confidential emergency contacts may be contacted sooner if there are concerning circumstances related to the University Student’s disappearance.

Communication

The Director of Security Services or their designee(s) will coordinate the communication of a missing student to the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, who will then facilitate communications to the President's Cabinet.

Any internal or external communication by the university regarding the missing student will be coordinated by the Director of Security Services, the Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students, the Vice President for University Relations, and the Tacoma Police Department's Communication Officer.

Additional University Safety Policies

Alcohol and Drug Policy

Security Services and Student Affairs staff members enforce university policies regarding possession, use, and serving of alcoholic beverages. University policies reflect Washington state laws, and underage drinking is not permitted. University policies also prohibit on-campus possession, use, or sale of marijuana and illegal drugs per federal and/or state law. The university’s Alcohol and Drug Policy can be reviewed at pugetsound.edu/alcohol-and-drug-policy. If there is a conflict between state and federal laws, federal law takes precedence. Violators are subject to sanctions or other corrective action; however, violators instead may be referred for mandatory psychoeducational workshops or substance abuse assessment. Counseling for students may be addressed by Student Affairs staff members.

Puget Sound also provides educational programs (“Know Your Numbers,” “Hashing Out The Truth,” “e-Toke,” and “e-Chug”) for substance misuse and abuse prevention, in which all students may participate or attend during new student orientation and at other times during their educational experience. Puget Sound faculty and staff members have access to “Employee Connect,” an employee assistance program through Lincoln Financial, that provides resources for those concerned about personal alcohol and/or drug use.

How Drugs Use Affects Your Health

Adverse health effects can range from nausea and anxiety to coma and death. There are risks associated with the chronic use of all psychoactive drugs, including alcohol.

A pregnant woman who uses alcohol, cigarettes or other drugs exposes her fetus to dangerous risks, including miscarriage, low birth weight, and brain damage. Substance abuse may involve controlled substances, illegal drugs, and alcohol—all of which pose a health risk. When drugs are used in combination with each other, their adverse effects on the mind and body are often multiplied beyond the consequences of the same drugs taken on their own.

Alcohol is the drug most frequently abused on college campuses and in our society. Even small amounts of alcohol significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car, increasing the chances of having an accident. Consumption of alcohol may be a factor in the incidence of aggressive crimes, including sexual assault, dating violence and domestic abuse. Moderate to significant amounts of alcohol severely impairs your ability to learn and remember information. Because alcohol is a depressant, very large quantities can cause respiratory and cardiac failure, which can result in death.

Marijuana impairs short-term memory and comprehension. It can cause confusion, anxiety, lung damage and abnormalities of the hormonal and reproductive system. Hours after the feeling of getting high fades, the effects of the drug on coordination and judgment remain, heightening the risk of driving or performing other complex tasks. Cannabis, a fat-soluble substance, may stay in the body for weeks, and an overdose can cause paranoia, panic attacks or psychiatric problems.

Club Drugs refers to a wide variety of drugs including MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, methamphetamine, and LSD, and are often used at raves, dance clubs, and bars. No club drug is safe due to variations in purity, potency, and concentration, and they can cause serious health problems or death. They have even more severe consequences when mixed with alcohol.

Depressants such as barbiturates, Valium and other benzodiazepines, Quaaludes and other depressants cause disorientation, slurred speech and other behaviors associated with drunkenness. The effects of an overdose of depressants range from shallow breathing, clammy skin, dilated pupils and weak and rapid pulse to coma and death.

Hallucinogens such as LSD, MDA, PCP (angel dust), mescaline and peyote can cause powerful distortions in perception and thinking. Intense and unpredictable emotional reactions can trigger panic attacks or psychotic reactions. An overdose of hallucinogens can cause heart failure, lung failure, coma, and death.

Narcotics like heroin, codeine, morphine, methadone and opium cause such adverse effects as anxiety, mood swings, nausea, confusion, constipation and respiratory depression. Overdose may lead to convulsions, coma, and death. The risk of being infected with HIV/AIDS or other diseases increases significantly if you inject drugs and share needles, and there is a high likelihood of developing a physical and psychological dependence on these drugs.

Stimulants, fentanyl, cocaine, amphetamines, and others – can cause agitation, loss of appetite, irregular heartbeat, chronic sleeplessness, and hallucinations. Cocaine and crack cocaine are extremely dangerous and psychologically and physically addictive. An overdose can result in seizures and death.

Tobacco, with its active ingredient nicotine, increases heart rate and raises blood pressure. The tar in cigarette smoke is one of the leading causes of cancer and other respiratory problems. Carbon monoxide in cigarette smoke can promote arteriosclerosis, and long-term effects of smoking include Emphysema, chronic bronchitis, heart disease and lung cancer.

Weapons on Campus Policy

University policy prohibits the possession or use of weapons on campus by anyone except law enforcement officials, armored car couriers, or others specifically authorized by the university to support curricular or co-curricular programs. Any firearm, explosive, knife (with a blade longer than 3½ inches as defined by Tacoma Municipal Code), club, or other objects that have been designed with the intent to harm another person or property (or replica of such a firearm or object) or any object used to inflict harm to another person or property. “Weapons” also include, but are not limited to: a pellet or BB gun, paintball or airsoft gun, blackjack, slingshot, Billy club, or metal knuckles (including replica or facsimile weapons), toy weapons (including squirt guns and nerf guns or any device capable of launching a projectile or substance), electroshock devices, stun guns or any other devices which could reasonably be mistaken for a weapon or explosive. Possession includes, but is not limited to, storage in residential facilities, academic or administrative offices, lockers, desks, briefcases, or personal vehicles parked on university property. The university’s Weapons Policy can be found at pugetsound.edu/weaponspolicy.

University Codes of Conduct and Integrity

The university’s Code of Conduct (pugetsound.edu/code-of-conduct) establishes the high university ethical standards and expectations of students, faculty, staff members, officers, trustees, and others with whom we work. The Code of Conduct provides an overarching statement that supplements but does not replace existing university policies and codes.

In addition to the Code of Conduct, students are governed by the Student Integrity Code. Student violations of the Code of Conduct or Student Integrity Code are handled through Puget Sound’s student conduct process. This process is independent of criminal or civil proceedings. Students are advised by the university of the option to pursue criminal charges or to bring civil action against perpetrators of crimes on campus. The student conduct process can be reviewed at pugetsound.edu/student-conduct.

Sexual Assault Prevention Programming, Campus Resources and Reporting

The university has adopted policies that address sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, sexual violence or harassment, domestic violence, dating violence, stalking, discrimination and harassment. The “ Policy Prohibiting Sex-Based Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct” is at pugetsound.edu/sexualmisconductpolicy. The “Campus Policy Prohibiting Discrimination and Harassment” is at pugetsound.edu/discriminatoryharassmentpolicy. The university recognizes that sexual discrimination and harassment destroys the respect, dignity, and trust necessary to form a safe and vibrant community. All forms of sexual misconduct, including sexual harassment, sex-based discrimination, unwelcome sexual contact, sexual exploitation, stalking, intimate partner violence, and all other forms of nonconsensual sexual conduct are prohibited.

Counseling, Health & Wellness Services, the Bystander Revolution Against Violence under Student Affairs, and Puget Sound’s Title IX/Equal Opportunity Office all offer or sponsor programs to promote healthy relationships and increase student awareness about sexual violence, offenses, discrimination, and harassment.

Training on prevention of sexual discrimination, harassment, assault, and other forms of gender-based violence is provided to student leaders using a comprehensive approach involving peer influence and bystander choices. New students participate in a consent workshop and partake in Vector Solutions modules focused on consent and intervening in instances of sexual violence attendance is taken for the modules and scheduling ensures that all students can attend the Orientation week workshop. Student orientation Leaders and Resident Assistants are required to participate each August in this program and training. Sexual violence prevention workshops are provided several times each semester or upon request for interested groups or organizations. Other prevention and awareness efforts occur throughout the academic year, often in partnership with the local Sexual Assault Center for Pierce County, named Rebuilding Hope. The University has a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with this county agency to further these programming initiatives.

Training on preventing discrimination or harassment, including sexual harassment, is provided to students, faculty, staff members, and student employees via online tutorials. These tutorials provide prevention, awareness, and educational content about consent, dating/domestic violence, and stalking, as well as Puget Sound’s Policy Prohibiting Sex-Based Discrimination, Sexual Harassment, and Sexual Misconduct which provides detailed descriptions of reporting responsibilities and grievance processes for students, faculty, and staff members. Puget Sound staff members are required to complete the tutorials within 30 days of hire and every year thereafter. Online training is augmented by diversity awareness and discrimination-prevention training by the Office of Institutional Equity & Diversity and the Title IX/Equal Opportunity Office in partnership with Student Affairs and the Office of Human Resources.

The university supports awareness of these issues in other ways. One is an advocacy and reporting card located in bathroom stalls in residential and academic buildings. The Title IX Coordinator/Equal Opportunity Officer provides an overview at staff orientation regarding policies, procedures, and reporting options and obligations.

A sexual offense survivor is encouraged to seek immediate medical attention. A prompt medical examination is important to assess possible injuries or infection and collect medical evidence in the event of criminal prosecution. The survivor is also encouraged to seek personal counseling and support from Counseling, Health & Wellness Services (CHWS), the campus Chaplain, the Sexual Assault Center of Pierce County, the peer-led and confidential Peer Allies program, or another counseling service of the survivor’s choice. Additionally, a Sexual Misconduct Resource Center is available online pugetsound.edu/sexual-misconduct-resource-center. If the survivor so desires, the university will provide supportive measures, which may include alternative campus housing and academic arrangements as appropriate and reasonably available.

The university provides multiple internal reporting options, including to the Title IX Coordinator or certain confidential resources. In addition, reports made to CHWS counseling staff members or the university chaplain are privileged and not reported to the university’s Title IX Officer unless the complainant elects to do so. If there is an investigation of alleged sexual misconduct, the complainant and the respondent are entitled to have an advisor present at all meetings. They also are informed in writing about disciplinary proceeding outcomes alleging a sexual offense, including the nature of any sanctions/responsive action. The university may impose one or more sanctions as appropriate, including but not limited to an official reprimand, campus activity restrictions, and eviction from campus housing, student suspension, student expulsion, or termination of a faculty or staff member’s employment. A campus policy violation finding requires proof that allegations are more likely true than not true (preponderance of evidence).

A survivor, the Title IX Coordinator, a confidential resource, or someone with knowledge of a sexual offense should report the incident immediately to the Director of Security. Reporting information is available at pugetsound.edu/report. The survivor has the option to notify the Tacoma Police Department whether or not the offense is reported to Security Services. If the survivor so desires, the university will assist in notifying the police.

State and Local Law

Definitions under the Washington State Criminal Code

The University prohibits the crimes of dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking as defined in the Clery Act. Additionally, these behaviors may be crimes in Washington State. Following are the relevant definitions under the criminal code:

Sexual Assault and Consent

Under Washington state criminal law, there is no crime of “sexual assault.” Instead, crimes are classified as “Sex Offenses.” See Chapter 9A.44 RCW. Another classification is “Assault,” which also governs assault with a sexual motivation.

Following are the definitions of rape crimes under Washington state criminal law:

• RCW 9A.44.040 – Rape in the first degree (1) A person is guilty of rape in the first degree when such person engages in sexual intercourse with another person by forcible compulsion where the perpetrator or an accessory: (a) Uses or threatens to use a deadly weapon or what appears to be a deadly weapon; or (b) Kidnaps the victim; or (c) Inflicts serious physical injury, including but not limited to physical injury which renders the victim unconscious; or (d) Feloniously enters into the building or vehicle where the victim is situated.
• RCW 9A.44.050 (1) (b) -Rape in the second degree (1) A person is guilty of rape in the second degree when, under circumstances not constituting rape in the first degree, the person engages in sexual intercourse with another person: 18 – 2022 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (a) By forcible compulsion; (b) When the victim is incapable of consent by reason of being physically helpless or mentally incapacitated
• RCW 9A.44.060 –-Rape in the third degree (1) A person is guilty of rape in the third degree when, under circumstances not constituting rape in the first or second degrees, such person engages in sexual intercourse with another person: (a) Where the victim did not consent as defined in RCW 9A.44.010(7), to sexual intercourse with the perpetrator and such lack of consent was clearly expressed by the victim’s words or conduct, or (b) Where there is threat of substantial unlawful harm to property rights of the victim.
• RCW 9A.44.010 (7) – Consent “Consent” means that at the time of the act of sexual intercourse or sexual contact there are actual words or conduct indicating freely given agreement to have sexual intercourse or sexual contact.
• RCW 9A.44.100 – Indecent liberties [Paraphrase] A victim is incapable of giving consent when physically helpless or mentally incapacitated.

Domestic Violence and Dating (Relationship) Violence

The Washington State Criminal Code does not contain a separate crime of “domestic violence” or “dating violence.” Instead, crimes relating to domestic violence and dating violence are covered by other provisions of the criminal code, such as “Sexual Offenses” or “Assault” crimes. The law is gender neutral and recognizes that domestic violence occurs between members of the same or any sex.

• RCW 26.50.010 – Domestic violence (a) Physical harm, bodily injury, assault, or the infliction of fear of imminent physical harm, bodily injury or assault, between family or household members; (b) Sexual assault of one family or household member by another; or (c) Stalking as defined in RCW 9A.46.110 of one family or household member by another family or household member. “Family or household members” means spouses, domestic partners, former spouses, former domestic partners, persons who have a child in common regardless of whether they have been married or have lived together at any time, adult persons related by blood or marriage, adult persons who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past, persons sixteen years of age or older who are presently residing together or who have resided together in the past and who have or have had a dating relationship, persons sixteen years of age or older with whom a person sixteen years of age or older has or has had a dating relationship, and persons who have a biological or legal parent-child relationship, including stepparents and stepchildren and grandparents and grandchildren. 19 – 2022 Annual Security and Fire Safety Report “Dating relationship” means a social relationship of a romantic nature. Factors include: (a) The length of time the relationship has existed; (b) the nature of the relationship; and (c) the frequency of interaction between the parties.

Stalking

The crime of “stalking” is defined in RCW 9A.46.110 under the classification of crimes of “Harassment.” There is also a separate crime of “cyberstalking” under RCW 9.61.260 (the Malicious Mischief-Injury to Property crimes).

• RCW 9A.46.110 (1) – Stalking A person commits the crime of stalking if, without lawful authority and under circumstances not amounting to a felony attempt of another crime: (a) He or she intentionally and repeatedly harasses or repeatedly follows another person; and (b) The person being harassed or followed is placed in fear that the stalker intends to injure the person, another person, or property of the person or of another person. The feeling of fear must be one that a reasonable person in the same situation would experience under all the circumstances; and (c) The stalker either: I. Intends to frighten, intimidate, or harass the person; or II. Knows or reasonably should know that the person is afraid, intimidated, or harassed even if the stalker did not intend to place the person in fear or intimidate or harass the person.
• RCW 9.61.260(1) – Cyberstalking A person is guilty of cyberstalking if he or she, with intent to harass, intimidate, torment, or embarrass any other person, and under circumstances not constituting telephone harassment, makes an electronic communication to such other person or a third party: (a) Using any lewd, lascivious, indecent, or obscene words, images, or language, or suggesting the commission of any lewd or lascivious act; (b) Anonymously or repeatedly whether or not conversation occurs; or (c) Threatening to inflict injury on the person or property of the person called or any member of his or her family or household. (d) For purposes of this section, “electronic communication” means the transmission of information by wire, radio, optical cable, electromagnetic, or other similar means. “Electronic communication” includes, but is not limited to, electronic mail, internet-based communications, pager service, and electronic text messaging

Registered Sex Offenders

The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department maintains records of registered sex offenders residing in Tacoma. To identify and learn more about any registered offenders in a particular area, visit www.sheriffalerts.com/cap_main.php?office=54483. General information about offenders and related Washington State laws is available on this site.

Clery Act Crime Definitions

Aggravated Assault - An unlawful attack by one person upon another for the purpose of inflicting severe or aggravated bodily injury. This type of assault is usually accompanied by the use of a weapon or by means likely to produce death or great bodily harm. (It is not necessary that injury result from an aggravated assault when a gun, knife, or other weapon is used which could and probably would result in serious personal injury if the crime were successfully completed.)

Arson - Any willful or malicious burning or attempt to burn, with or without intent to defraud, a dwelling house, public building, motor vehicle or aircraft, personal property of another, etc.

Burglary - The unlawful entry of a structure to commit a felony or a theft. For reporting purposes this definition includes: unlawful entry with intent to commit a larceny or felony; breaking and entering with intent to commit a larceny; housebreaking; safecracking; and all attempts to commit any of the aforementioned.

Dating Violence - Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim. The existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on the reporting party’s statement and with consideration of the length of the relationship, the type of relationship, and the frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship. For the purposes of this definition dating violence includes, but is not limited to, sexual or physical abuse or the threat of such abuse. Dating violence does not include acts covered under the definition of domestic violence.

Domestic Violence - A felony or misdemeanor crime of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim; by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common; By a person who is cohabitating with, or has cohabitated with, the victim as a spouse or intimate partner; By a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred, or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of the jurisdiction in which the crime of violence occurred.

Motor Vehicle Theft - The theft or attempted theft of a motor vehicle. (Classify as motor vehicle theft all cases where automobiles are taken by persons not having lawful access even though the vehicles are later abandoned—including joyriding.)

Murder / Non-Negligent Manslaughter - The willful (non-negligent) killing of one human being by another.

Negligent Manslaughter - The killing of another person through gross negligence.

Robbery - The taking or attempting to take anything of value from the care, custody, or control of a person or persons by force or threat of force or violence and/or by putting the victim in fear.

Sexual Assault-Sex Offense - Any sexual act directed against another person, forcibly and/or against that person’s will; or not forcibly or against the person’s will where the victim is incapable of giving consent: forcible rape; forcible sodomy; sexual assault with an object; forcible fondling and attempted rape.

Sex Offense (Fondling) Fondling - The touching of the private body parts of another person for the purpose of sexual gratification, without the consent of the victim, including instances where the victim is incapable of giving consent because of his/her age or because of his/her temporary or permanent mental incapacity.

Sex Offense (Incest) - Sexual intercourse between persons who are related to each other within the degrees wherein marriage is prohibited by law.

Sex Offense (Rape) - The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus, with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.

Sex Offense (Statutory Rape) - Sexual intercourse with a person who is under the statutory age of consent.

Stalking - Engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that would cause a reasonable person to fear for the person’s safety or the safety of others; or suffer substantial emotional distress.

Disciplinary Referrals - Incidents in which a student was not arrested but was referred for campus disciplinary action for liquor law violations, drug law violations, or illegal weapons possession. Do not include disciplinary referrals for violation of university policy if there was no violation of the law. For example, if a student of legal drinking age violates a “dry campus” policy and is referred for disciplinary action, this statistic should not be included in the crime statistics.

Liquor Law Violation - The violation of laws or ordinances prohibiting: the manufacture, sale, transporting, furnishing, or possessing of intoxicating liquor; maintaining unlawful drinking places; bootlegging; operating a still, furnishing liquor to a minor or intemperate person; using a vehicle for illegal transportation of liquor; drinking on a train or public conveyance; any attempts to commit any of the foregoing violations. This list does not include public drunkenness and driving under the influence.

Drug Law Violation - Violations of State and local laws related to the possession, sale, use, growing, manufacturing, and making of narcotic drugs. The relevant substances include; opium or cocaine and their derivatives (morphine, heroin, codeine); marijuana; synthetic narcotics (Demerol, methadone’s); and dangerous nonnarcotic drugs (barbiturates, Benzedrine).

Weapon Law Violation - The violation of laws or ordinances regulating weapons.

Hate Crimes - Any crime that manifests evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the victim’s actual or perceived race; religion; gender; sexual orientation; ethnicity; national origin; gender identity or physical/mental disabilities.

The following crimes only apply to hate crime reporting:

Intimidation - To intentionally say or do something which would cause a person of ordinary sensibilities to be fearful of bodily harm.

Larceny-Theft - The unlawful taking, carrying, leading, or riding away of property from the possession or constructive possession of another.

Simple Assault - Assaults and attempted assaults where no weapon was used and which did not result in serious or aggravated injury to the victim. (This only applies in hate crime reporting).

Vandalism - To willfully or maliciously destroy, injure, disfigure, or deface any public or private property; real or personal, without the consent of the owner or person having custody or control by cutting, tearing, breaking, marking, painting, drawing, covering with filth, or any other such means as may be specified by local law.

Clery Act Location Definitions

Campus - (i) Any building or property owned or controlled by an institution within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner related to, the institution’s educational purposes, including residence halls; and (ii) any building or property that is within or reasonably contiguous to the area identified in paragraph (i) of this definition, that is owned by the institution but controlled by another person, is frequently used by students and supports institutional purposes (such as a food or other retail vendor).

Housing - Residence halls or other university-owned residences.

Affiliated/Non-Campus - (i) Any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization that is officially recognized by the institution; or (ii) any building or property owned or controlled by an institution that is used in direct support of, or in relation to the institution's educational purposes, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution. Include in this category repeated use of a non-campus location. For example, if every year students in the debate club take a trip to Washington, DC and stay at the same hotel, you must report any Clery crimes occurring in certain portions of the hotel such as hotel rooms rented to students, elevators, lobbies, etc.

Public Property - "Public property" is defined by the Clery Act regulations as all public property including thoroughfares, streets, sidewalks, and parking facilities that are within the campus, or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus. Include the sidewalk across the street from the campus, but do not include public property beyond the sidewalk.

Clery Act Statistical Information

The Clery Act establishes the requirements for collecting and reporting campus crime statistics. The classifications of crimes used in these reports are defined in the United States Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation Unified Crime Reports or for sex offenses, the National Incident Based Reporting System. The University of Puget Sound Clery Reporting Officer is the Director of Security Services and works with not only the Security Services Department but with the Tacoma Police Department to compile an accurate account of campus crimes for the designated year.

The following is the report of statistics for years 2020 through 2022.

Offense	Location	2020	2021	2022
Aggravated Assault	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	1 1 0 0	0 0 0 0	1 0 0 0
Arson	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Burglary	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	5 2 0 0	4 2 0 0	4 3 0 0
Manslaughter	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Murder	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Motor Vehicle Theft	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	8 0 0 0	10 0 0 0	11 0 0 6
Robbery	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Sex Offense (Fondling)	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	2 2 0 0	1 1 0 0
Sex Offense (Incest)	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Sex Offense (Rape)	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	3 3 0 0	3 3 0 0	5 5 0 0
Sex Offense (Statutory Rape)	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0

 

Hate Crimes

Regarding Hate Crimes Statistics for 2020, 2021, and 2022— the University of Puget Sound is required by federal law to include in this report all incidents reported to the Security Services or to other campus security authorities that involved any of the crimes listed above, as well as for larceny-theft, simple assault, intimidation, and vandalism of property, if these crimes also manifested evidence that the victim was intentionally selected because of the victim's actual or perceived race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, gender identity, or disability.

Reported Hate Crimes

Hate crimes on campus:

• 2020: No hate crimes were reported.
• 2021: 1 Vandalism (Gender Identity)
• 2022:  2 Vandalism (1 Religious; 1 Sexual Orientation) & 1 Intimidation (Religious)

Hate crimes in on-campus housing:

• 2020: No hate crimes were reported.
• 2021: 1 Vandalism (Gender Identity)            
• 2022: 2 Vandalism (1 Religious; 1 Sexual Orientation)

Hate crimes non-campus:

• 2020: No hate crimes were reported.
• 2021: No hate crimes were reported.
• 2022: No hate crimes were reported

Hate crimes on public property:

• 2020: No hate crimes were reported
• 2021: No hate crimes were reported.
• 2022: No hate crimes were reported

Arrests

Offense	Location	2020	2021	2022
Liquor Law Violations	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Drug Law Violations	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Illegal Weapons Possessions	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0

 

Referred For Disciplinary Actions

Offense	Location	2020	2021	2022
Liquor Law Violations	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	16 15 0 0	24 9 0 0	28 28 0 0
Drug Law Violations	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	14 13 0 0	22 22 0 0	6 6 0 0
Illegal Weapons Possessions	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	1 1 0 0

 

VAWA ACT (Violence Against Women Act)

Offense	Location	2020	2020	2022
Dating Violence	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	1 0 0 0	1 1 0 0	0 0 0 0
Domestic Violence	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0	0 0 0 0
Stalking	On Campus Residence Halls Non-Campus Public Property	1 1 0 0	1 1 0 0	4 1 0 0

^{Crimes reported in the Residence Halls are also included in the On-Campus category. Per federal mandate, requests for crime statistics were made to the Tacoma Police Department and other jurisdictions.}
 

Introduction to University of Puget Sound Fire Safety

Fire prevention on the University of Puget Sound campus is led by the Security Services Department. Other partners include Risk Management, Student Affairs, Facilities, Residence Life Staff, Greek Life, the Tacoma Fire Department and the State of Washington Fire Marshal’s Office. Together, along with the support of students, faculty, and staff, we can foster a culture of fire prevention and promote the safety and well-being of our campus community.

Purpose

This report provides information and data pertaining to fire safety at the University of Puget Sound. The data and information contained in this document are reported annually in compliance with the Higher Education Opportunity Act. Information in this report, aims to provide the information and data required by federal law and also provide information about situational awareness to further develop and enhance the culture of safety and preparedness of our campus community. For further information or questions pertaining to information submitted in this report, please call the Security Services Department at 253.879.3311 or by dialing “3311” on any campus phone.

Fire Safety Definitions

Cause of fire — The factor or factors that give rise to a fire. The causal factor may be, but is not limited to: the result of an intentional or unintentional action, mechanical failure, or act of nature (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire — Any instance of open flame or other burning in a place not intended to contain the burning or in an uncontrolled manner (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire drill — A supervised practice of a mandatory evacuation of a building for a fire (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire log — (1) An institution that maintains on-campus student housing facilities must maintain a written, easily understood fire log that records, by the date that the fire was reported, any fire that occurred in an on-campus student housing facility. This log must include the nature, date, time, and general location of each fire. (2) An institution must make an entry or an addition to an entry to the log within two business days, as defined under §668.46(a), of the receipt of the information. (3) An institution must make the fire log for the most recent 60-day period open to public inspection during normal business hours. The institution must make any portion of the log older than 60 days available within two business days of a request for public inspection. (4) An institution must make an annual report to the campus community on the fires recorded in the fire log. This requirement may be satisfied by the annual fire safety report described in paragraph (b) of this section (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (d))

Fire–related death - Any instance in which a person —(1) Is killed as a result of a fire, including death resulting from a natural or accidental cause while involved in fire control, attempting rescue, or escaping from the dangers of a fire; or (2) Dies within one year of injuries sustained as a result of the fire (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire–related injury - Any instance in which a person is injured as a result of a fire, including an injury sustained from a natural or accidental cause, while involved in fire control, attempting rescue, or escaping from the dangers of the fire. The term “person” may include students, employees, visitors, firefighters, or any other individuals (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire safety system - Any mechanism or system related to the detection of a fire, the warning resulting from a fire, or the control of a fire. This may include sprinkler systems or other fire extinguishing systems, fire detection devices, stand-alone smoke alarms, devices that alert one to the presence of a fire, such as horns, bells, or strobe lights; smoke-control and reduction mechanisms; and fire doors and walls that reduce the spread of a fire (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire statistics - (1) An institution must report statistics for each on-campus student housing facility, for the three most recent calendar years for which data are available, concerning — (i) The number of fires and the cause of each fire; (ii) The number of persons who received fire-related injuries that resulted in treatment at a medical facility, including at an on-campus health center; (iii) The number of deaths related to a fire; and (iv) The value of property damage caused by a fire. (2) An institution is required to submit a copy of the fire statistics in paragraph (c)(1) of this section to the Secretary on an annual basis (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (c)).

Value of property damage - The estimated value of the loss of the structure and contents, in terms of the cost of replacement in like kind and quantity. This estimate should include contents damaged by fire, and related damages caused by smoke, water, and overhaul; however, it does not include indirect loss, such as business interruption (34 C.F.R. 668.49 (a)).

Fire Log

University of Puget Sound and Security Services maintains a fire log that records any fire that occurred in an on-campus student housing facility and includes information such as the nature, date, time and general location of each fire. The fire log entry, or an addition to an entry, shall be made within two business days of the receipt of information. The fire log for the most recent 60-day period shall be open to public inspection during normal business hours. Any portion of the log older than 60 days will be available within two business days of a request for public inspection.

Reporting Fires

These are the following individuals within the Puget Sound Organization to which students, staff, and faculty should report that a fire occurred:

• Security Services

Fire Safety

University of Puget Sound has many systems, policies and procedures in place to enhance fire safety at the university. On the next few pages you will find information on the fire safety system for each on-campus student housing facility, as well as fire statistics for the past three years. You will also find policies on portable electrical appliances, procedures for student housing evacuation as well as plans for future improvements in fire safety. Please use this information to make informed decisions and to keep the campus community safe.

Fire Safety Systems for On-Campus Housing

Residence Halls

Location	Fire Alarm Monitoring System	Alarm Strobe Lighting	Audio Alarm	Full Sprinkler System	Smoke Detection (hardwired)	Marked Fire Exits
Anderson Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Harrington Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Langdon Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Oppenheimer Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Phibbs Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Regester Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Schiff Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Seward Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Smith	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Thomas Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Todd Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Trimble Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES

 

Greek Housing

Location	Fire Alarm Monitoring System	Alarm strobe lighting	Audio Alarm	Full Sprinkler System	Smoke Detection (hardwired)	Marked Fire Exits
Alpha Phi	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Beta Theta Pi	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Kappa Alpha Theta	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Langdon Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Gamma Phi Beta	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Phi Delta Theta	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Pi Beta Phi	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Sigma Alpha Epsilon	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Seward Hall	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES
Sigma Chi	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES	YES

 

Student-Multi Family-Living Homes

Location	Fire Alarm Monitoring System	Alarm strobe lighting	Audio Alarm	Full Sprinkler System	Smoke Detection	Fire Extinguisher (kitchen)
3207 N. 11th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3211 N. 11th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3207 N. 12th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3210 N. 12th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3211 N. 12th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3214 N. 12th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3207 N. 17th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3211 N. 17th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
3212 N. 17th	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1108 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1114 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1120 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1210 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1308 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1520 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1604 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1608 N. Adler	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1101 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1102 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1107 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1111 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1114 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1115 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1116 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1118 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1119 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1120 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1122 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1123 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1127 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1128 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1131 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1133 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1137 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1141 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1202 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1131 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1133 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1137 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1141 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1141 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1202 N. Lawrence	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1401 N. Washington (Tri Delta House)	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1405 N. Washington (Tri Delta House)	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1411 N. Washington	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES
1415 N. Washington	NO	NO	NO	NO	YES	YES

 

Fire Prevention

The goal of fire prevention at University of Puget Sound is to educate students, staff, and faculty to take precautions to prevent potentially harmful fires, and be educated about surviving them. It is a proactive method of reducing emergencies and the damage caused by them.

Fire Safety in University of Puget Sound Residence Halls

University of Puget Sound is committed to making campus residence halls safe and secure, and demonstrates this commitment through its financial investments in fire sprinkler, fire alarm, and emergency power systems. Security Services and Residence Life further this commitment with their joint fire safety training and inspection program for residence halls, which is briefly overviewed below.

Fire Sprinkler Systems

All Residence Halls and Greek Housing at University of Puget Sound are protected by automatic fire sprinkler systems. A fire sprinkler system is an active fire protection measure, consisting of a water supply system, providing adequate pressure and flow-rate to a water distribution piping system, onto which fire sprinklers are connected. Each sprinkler head has a glass tube, which can be broken by a blow or intense heat. The success of these fire suppression systems depends in part on students’ commitment to respect the system as well as the safety rules of the residence halls. Please read and follow the Fire Suppression System Guidelines to keep sprinkler systems intact and help ensure your protection.

Fire Alarm Systems

All Residence Halls and Greek Housing have automatic fire alarm systems to alert students should a fire occur. These systems typically consist of manual pull-boxes located at exit doors, with smoke detector systems in corridors and common areas. Single-station, hard-wired smoke detectors are installed in all residence halls rooms as well.

Fire System Inspections

During the summer of 2021 all fire alarm systems, fire extinguishers, and sprinkler systems in all applicable University of Puget Sound buildings were inspected and certified by authorized companies contracted by University of Puget Sound.

Fire Extinguishers

Multi-purpose ABC fire extinguishers are located throughout all the university buildings and residence halls for use by the occupants on most types of small fires. Members of the Safety and Security Department inspect each fire extinguisher monthly to make sure they are in proper working condition.

When using a fire extinguisher use the P.A.S.S. method:

• P - Pull the pin.
• A - Aim.
• S - Squeeze the trigger.
• S - Sweep the fire.

Emergency Lighting Systems

All residence halls are provided with emergency lighting systems, which activate if primary power is lost. These emergency lighting systems can be found in hallways and exit stairwells.

Fire Doors

Stairwell fire doors should be kept closed at all times. During a fire the stairwells will provide a place of refuge and will protect you during your escape from the building. If the fire doors are left open, the stairwells will act as chimneys, rapidly spreading the fire and smoke throughout the building.

Exits

Each exit or exit access should be kept clearly marked with a lighted or fluorescent exit sign. You should familiarize yourself with all exit routes in your facility when you move in.

Evacuation Drills

All residence halls have emergency evacuation plans and conduct fire drills each semester to ensure residents are familiar with evacuation procedures.

Fire Safety Guidelines

Fire safety guidelines are established for all residence halls. Examples include prohibitions on smoking, using candles, and certain electrical appliances. You may view complete health, fire, and safety guidelines for residence halls in the Student Handbook.

Elevators are Hazardous to Use in Fires

Elevators should not be used during an actual emergency. The elevator shaft could act as a chimney in transmitting heat and smoke from floor to floor. Also, elevators may malfunction and stop at the floor involved in the fire, opening automatically, and exposing the passengers to heat and smoke.

Fire Watch

A fire watch is a temporary measure for the purposes of ensuring the fire-safety of a building or premises in the event of any act or situation which creates an increased risk to persons or property. The term fire watch is also used to describe a dedicated person or persons whose sole responsibility is to look for fires and other hazards within a building, specific area, or premises.

The purpose of a fire watch is to provide temporary surveillance in a building or premises for the purposes of identifying and controlling fire hazards, detecting early signs of unwanted fire, initiating alarms or evacuation procedures, and notifying the fire department.

Health and Safety Inspections

Residence Life Staff conducts health and safety inspections of all occupied residence hall rooms. This review will also include a general assessment of food and waste storage and other sanitary considerations of the room. Prohibited items will be immediately confiscated. Residence Life Policies prohibit smoking and open flames in residence hall rooms.

Tobacco-Free Campus Policy

The university protects public health by prohibiting smoking in all university facilities so that non-smokers are guaranteed smoke-free air. The University of Puget Sound policy states that students, faculty, staff, and visitors to the university are entitled to live, study, work, etc., in areas that are free of tobacco smoke. In applications of this policy, responsibility rests with faculty, staff, students, and visitors who do smoke to defer to the health and preferences of other faculty, staff, students, and visitors. It is the responsibility of department heads and supervisors, and Residential Programs staff to enforce this policy. Smoking is prohibited in all academic, administrative, residential, and public buildings of the university. This includes all offices, classrooms, restrooms, Facilities Services shops, vehicles, and all common areas within buildings and residences.

Open Flames

Because of the risk of fire, anything with an open flame, as well as flammable materials (incense, candles, potpourri pots, etc.) is prohibited in the residence halls. In case of power failure, emergency lights will be activated for assisting residents.

Explosives

Gasoline, paint, ether, propane or any other flammable liquids or gasses are not allowed in any of the residential halls for any reason. Fireworks, gunpowder or any other explosives are not allowed on campus under State Fire Codes and may not be stored on campus for any reason.

Fire Procedure

If a fire alarm sounds, Security Services will respond to the affected building and notify the Tacoma Fire Department. Every building on campus including the residence halls is connected directly to Security Services by electronic monitoring. If you notice a fire in your building you should still contact the Security Services Department.

When a fire or other evacuation alarm sounds, every person must follow these procedures:

• Take your keys and Puget Sound ID with you, if you have time.
• Carefully and calmly exit via the closest fire exit route.
• DO NOT USE THE ELEVATORS.
• Check each door for heat or hazard prior to opening. If your door feels hot or the exit path is hazardous, remain in the building.
• If there is a designated fire exit through your window, use it.
• Leave the room door closed.
• Stay low to the floor and cover your mouth with a wet cloth to make breathing easier in smoky conditions.
• If you notice that individuals cannot negotiate the exit, move them laterally away from any obvious danger to a safe place.
• Persons with disabilities, such as those who cannot walk or must be assisted down the stairs, may elect to remain in the building until emergency personnel arrive.
• Report the status and location of anyone remaining in the building to campus responders (Security Services) and public officials (Police, Fire). Repeat this message often.

Stay together at a safe distance (100 yards, upwind) from the building until Security Services indicates you can return to the building.

In the Event of a Fire:

If you notice a fire: Alert others in the immediate area and activate the nearest fire alarm on your way out of the building.

• Do not fight a fire if you have not been trained or are unsure about what type of fire extinguisher to use. Most portable extinguishers are appropriate for only small contained fires, such as a fire in a wastebasket.
• Remember to never fight a spreading or growing fire and never block your escape.
• Close doors to help prevent the fire from spreading.

If You Are Trapped

• Stay calm. There are many things you can do to protect yourself.
• If possible, go to a room with an outside window and use a flashlight or light to get people’s attention
• Close the door between you and the fire. Stuff the cracks around the door with towels, rags, or bedding and cover vents to keep the smoke out of the room.
• Use your cell phone to call the fire department and tell them exactly where you are. Do this even if you can see fire trucks on the street below.
• Wait at the window and signal for help with a flashlight, if you have one, or by waving a sheet or other light-colored cloth.
• Be patient. Rescuing all the occupants of a residence hall can take some time.

Do Not Jump from the Room - Any rescue attempts will be made by the Fire Department.

If You Are on Fire:

• Stop, Drop, and Roll - If your clothes catch on fire, Stop, Drop, and Roll, wherever you are. Rolling smothers the fire.

University of Puget Sound Fire Log

2022	Arson	Mechanical	Electrical	Act of Nature	Smoke Investigated	Other	Treated Injuries	Death	Property Damage
None Reported	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

 

2021	Arson	Mechanical	Electrical	Act of Nature	Smoke Investigated	Other	Treated Injuries	Death	Property Damage
1128 N. Lawrence	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0

 

2020	Arson	Mechanical	Electrical	Act of Nature	Smoke Investigated	Other	Treated Injuries	Death	Property Damage
Todd/Phibbs	0	1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0
3212 N. 17th	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

 

Summary

University of Puget Sound works hard to ensure the safety of all individuals within its campus community. Everyone; students, faculty, and staff play an essential role in preventing and reporting crime. We believe that information, personal awareness, and the elimination of “opportunity” are vital elements in staying safe and reducing crime. Similarly, fire safety is essential to the university. Students, faculty, and staff must familiarize themselves with policies, equipment, and evacuation procedures to ensure the safety of the entire Puget Sound community. For more information please feel free to contact our Director of Security Services, David Ferber, Ph.D. at 253.879.3311 or at dferber@pugetsound.edu.