Personal Safety Q & A

Questions and Answers regarding personal safety at Manhattanville College

Does Manhattanville College have established emergency procedures, protocols, and plans?
Yes. The easiest and quickest way to access emergency preparedness information is through the Environmemtal Health and Safety section of the College’s Web site.

For Students and Staff, there is the Safety Program handbook, The handbook is designed to assist members of the campus community with reporting and dealing with emergency situations appropriately. The handbook focuses on addressing the most common emergencies that occurred in the past and those most likely to occur in the future.

Do all students know about emergency procedures and policies?
Students living in residence halls are educated when they first move in about the college’s expectations and their personal responsibilities in case of an emergency, especially one requiring a building evacuation. Much of the emphasis has been on the more likely scenarios— fires, power outages, etc.

What are the messages and themes provided to students regarding personal safety?
Several consistent messages are provided throughout the year, including:

  • Wherever you are, your personal safety is paramount. Avoid placing yourself in harm's way.
  • Be aware of your surroundings.
  • Report suspicious behavior to the College’s Security Department by dialing 888, or to Campus Safety Office at 323-5244.
  • Trust your instincts.
  • Treat others with civility. Avoid confrontational behaviors.
  • Guard against theft by locking your doors and windows, especially at night when sleeping or while you are away.
  • Avoid lending your keys, ID card, or valuables to others.
  • Don't let other people follow you into your residence hall.

In case of an emergency, what is the College’s source of official information? In these situations, special messages and official reports will be available online at www.mville.edu The college’s home page. If an emergency causes all technology to go down, a remote server, out of the area, will be utilized to continue providing information at the www.mville.edu address.

What can students do right now to ensure they will receive accurate and official college communications?
All students should continuously update their connectEd accounts with their current contact information. We recommend checking at the beginning of every quarter.

What should parents and students do to get connected with Manhattanville College?
Parents can regularly visit the college’s Web site for everyday campus news (and the most current information in an emergency) and encourage their students to keep ConnectEd and other contact information up to date. Students should update this information, accept all of their responsibilities as active campus community members (e.g., be concerned for safety and take any drills seriously) and read all available information on emergency preparedness.

How is evolving technology being used in communicating with students?
The College recently purchased the technology to allow emergency notifications to all campus community members.  Campus Alert technology allows us to send simultaneous cell phone, text messaging, and e-mail communications to all students, faculty, staff, & parents in the notification database. This system is expected to be operational by June and fully functioning by the beginning of the 2007-08 academic year. Look for additional information about the Campus Alert soon.

What is Connect-ED?
This is a product by NTI Group built exclusively for post-secondary institutions; the Connect-ED service allows campus leaders and security professionals to send time-sensitive notifications to thousands of people in minutes. Connect ED is the system which supports Campus Alert.

Does the campus use cameras for security purposes? Yes. Cameras are currently located in our parking areas, residence halls, Library, Athletic Facility, front & rear gates, additional cameras will be placed in the interior and exterior of the new Creative Arts Building.

Are there emergency phones around campus? Yes. There are 5 public "blue light" phones around campus, providing individuals with immediate access to Campus Safety Services during emergencies.  In addition there are 17 interior and exterior emergency call boxes with immediate access to Campus Safety.

Does the College practice or rehearse for emergencies? Yes, in two ways. (1) Quarterly residence halls evacuation practices (i.e., fire alarm drills). These serve two purposes: to ensure that all safety equipment (audible alarms and strobe lighting) is working properly, and to remind students of their responsibilities during an emergency. (2) The College’s Emergency Command Center  practices simulations or "table top" exercises. The college has also held an active shooter drill with local and state agencies in June of 2007.

Could Manhattanville College be a possible target for a Virginia Tech type tragedy?
Unfortunately, yes, however Manhattanville College is not an open campus where individuals can gain access to the campus if they are not members of the community. The main campus gate is manned 24/7. The rear gate is activated with a ID card and is open 12 hours a day. The student guest policy is strictly enforced. One preventative measure is for all campus members to be diligent in reporting activity and potential incidents to the proper authorities.

If Manhattanville College is dependent upon the response of the Town of Harrison’s Police Department, then how close is the police department to the campus?
The town’s police headquarters is less than 3 minutes from the school. In addition, mutual aid agreements with surrounding jurisdictions provide additional law enforcement and emergency resources to any situation at the college.

Do students know the right person or organization to contact if they have suspicions about others?
The message to students is consistent: If you are ever in doubt or suspicious, contact Campus Safety Services, the Counseling Center, and/or the Office of Resident Life, or your RA or RD.

Does the campus have emergency backup utilities?
The campus communication systems have emergency backup power and will continue to function unless there is physical damage to the systems or to off-campus telecommunications networks. All residence hall buildings will have generators that provide for Fire & Life Safety needs, and minimal power requirement by the end of August 2008.

What has the College done recently to increase safety on campus?

  • Residence Halls:  Spellman (freshman dorm),  Tenney Hall, and Dammann Hall are now fully sprinkled  with improved lighting in all hallways. Founders Hall will be fully sprinkled by the summer of 2008.
  • An outside campus PA alert system has been added to notify all community members in case of an emergency, as well as the mass notification system.


What other sources of information are available? 
For national preparedness, a good resource is the American Red Cross.