Residence Hall Security Standards
Providing for security in residence halls is an important responsibility of the staff of the Office of Housing and Residence Life. The standards outlined below are intended as minimum requirements to ensure the safety and security of students, staff, and property. In this effort, it is essential that all door and window hardware is in good working order, all staff aware of these standards, and staff reliably fulfill their responsibilities with regard to residence hall security.
Academic Year: During the academic year all exterior residence hall doors will be locked by 10 or 11 p.m., depending on the preference of the respective hall council, and unlocked at 7:30 a. m. First floor public area windows will also be closed and secured at that time as well. An on-duty resident adviser or desk clerk will be assigned the responsibility for locking the doors and first floor windows in his or her hall at night and the custodial staff will be responsible for unlocking the in the morning. Resident advisers and desk clerks will routinely check and secure, if necessary, all doors and first floor public area windows during each round.
Once the building has been secured, no one without a key to that building is to be permitted to enter, unless he or she is entering with, and as a guest of a resident of the building or it can be verified that the student is a resident of the building who is not carrying a key. If the person's identity/residency of the building cannot be verified using information at the desk, it may be necessary for the student to call his or her roommate or a friend to come to the lobby to verify identification/residency. If this is not possible, the staff member may escort the student into the hall to his or her room to obtain identification. If the person's identification/residency cannot be verified he or she should be escorted to the lobby and, if necessary, Public Safety and Police Services should be contacted for assistance.
With the exception of a maintenance person performing routine maintenance with permission to enter from the resident, room doors are not to be unlocked for anyone but the room resident(s) unless a verified emergency situation exists. Maintenance people entering a room must do everything possible to respect a student's privacy by knocking loudly, waiting for an answer to the knock, and announcing themselves at the door before entering. The door is to be locked immediately after the maintenance staff person has completed his or her task and left the room.
Similarly, each student room door is to be locked immediately after the room has been surveyed during a fire alarm or similar emergency situation.
Break Periods: Due to the decrease in traffic and staffing during break periods, all residence hall doors and windows will be closed and locked (e.g., hall entrance doors, room doors, lounge doors, recreation room doors, lobby doors, and mechanical room doors). The only exception to this will be a single door to the Gant-Spalding lobby (parking lot side) from 8:00 a. m. until 5:00 p. m. on the days the Food Service office is open. The decision to open this door will be at the discretion of the associate director of food service (for the Gant-Spalding lobby). If a lobby door is left open during working hours, a designated staff member must check the lobby at the close of the workday to ensure that there are no unauthorized persons in the area prior to locking the doors.
The hall and lobby doors and windows will be locked and unlocked at the beginning and end of the break period by the resident director according to the appropriate hall closing and re-opening schedule. During the break period, all Housing and Residence Life staff will be responsible for ensuring that the doors and windows remain locked. It is specifically the responsibility of break coverage staff (resident directors, custodians, resident advisers, and desk clerks) to check windows and doors during their rounds through the buildings.
If Housing and Residence Life staff contact a person who does not belong in the hall and refuses to identify him or herself prior to being escorted from the building, Public Safety and Police Services should be contacted for assistance. If the person shows identification when requested, he or she should be escorted out of the building.
Both the supervising staff member and Public Safety should be given the name, address, and phone number of the person and the basic details of the incident (e.g., form of identification, time and date, location, and explanation of why he or she was there) when an unauthorized person is contacted in the hall.
It is the responsibility of the resident director, working with the hall custodian, to ensure that all door and window hardware is in good working condition. The coordinator of facility support services will ensure that appropriate lock cores are installed (and removed) and that the keys are available for those who need them for the breaks.
Housing and Residence Life has worked diligently to provide a secure environment for residents while minimizing any inconveniences. Residents are encouraged to keep their room doors locked, keep exit doors secured, escort their guests at all times, and report any unusual circumstances to our resident hall staff or Public Safety immediately.
Summer: While in some circumstances, building security is more difficult during the spring and summer, it is still an important responsibility for Housing and Residence Life staff.
Occupied buildings. In general, the security measures described for the academic year will apply to the residence halls occupied during the summer: Doors will be locked by the departmental staff (e.g., security staff or desk clerks) at time mutually agreed upon by conference group supervisors and Housing and Residence Life staff and unlocked by the hall maintenance staff at 7:00 a. m. (Signs are to be posted accordingly). Unless otherwise requested, room keys will unlock hall and lobby doors. Housing and residence Life staff and conference group supervisors are responsible for ensuring security.
Unoccupied buildings. In buildings where no work or only minimal work is being done, all entrance doors and windows will be closed and locked. On work days, especially in warm weather, it is expected that the room doors and windows in building being worked on will be open in order to remove paint and/or cleaning fluid fumes as well as to reduce the temperature in the buildings while staff are working. It is important, however, that security is maintained by all departmental staff. They are to:
a. Keep building entrance doors (including the door to the lobby) closed and locked at all times unless directly supervised by a staff member.
b. Close and lock windows in areas where staff are working unless it is necessary to leave the open to facilitate paint drying, to vent cleaning fumes, or the staff will be returning to the area within a short period (e.g., breaks or 15-30 minute projects), and
c. Check all open rooms, close and lock all hall and lobby windows, and make sure all hall access doors are closed and locked at the end of the day. When possible, draperies and room doors should be left open to facilitate Public Safety and Housing and Residence Life staff security checks. If this is not possible, draperies should be closed and room doors locked.
University Property: University property (e.g., tools, cleaning equipment, pillows, and blankets) and property being rented by the University (e.g., sheets, pillows cases, and towels) are to be securely stored in a designated room when not in use or under the supervision of a University staff member. Maintenance and storage rooms are to be locked continuously unless staff members are working in them.
All residence hall entrance doors are locked by 11 p.m. and are unlocked at 7:30 a.m. During this time, residents may gain entry to the building using their room key.
At all the first house meetings and hall meeting we talk to students about the importance of not letting strangers into the building (e.g., holding the door open for them, propping doors open). This is also listed as one of the items in the Personal Safety section of the Residence Hall handbook which every residence hall student received upon check-in.
Each of the hall councils determine whether of not their hall will have an escort policy. Those that choose to have them do not allow anyone who does not live in the building to walk in the hallway unescorted after the exterior doors are locked. Residence hall staff encourage the use of such a policy at all levels (house, hall, and campus-wide meetings). Last year, five out of the nine residence halls incorporated the escort policy.
Resident Advisers are on duty from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. and do rounds through the building periodically during that time period. They are the ones responsible for locking the doors and checking them on subsequent rounds.
From midnight until 3 a.m., we also have two desk clerks on duty. One stays at the front desk while the other is doing security rounds in the buildings, checking doors and windows and providing constant coverage of the buildings.
We provide a very thorough training for all staff responsible for building security.
Room Safety
- Always lock your room and bathroom door, even if you are just walking down the hall to visit a friend. The number one reason for residence hall room thefts is unlocked doors.
- You are encouraged to use the door viewer before opening your door, so that you are not surprised by an unexpected or unwanted visitor.
- Carry your keys with you at all times, and remember never lend them to anyone. It is illegal to duplicate one of NMU's residence hall keys.
- Join Operation ID when you move into your room. This fast, simple way to identifying your valuables is a very necessary step in identifying your valuables should they ever be stolen and subsequently recovered. See your resident adviser for information about this program.
- Don't leave valuables like your wallet, checkbook, or jewelry out in the open.
- Report all thefts, regardless of the value of the item(s) taken, to Public Safety and Police Services (phone 2151) immediately.
- Report any unfamiliar or suspicious looking people you see wandering around your hall to a staff member immediately.
- NMU's residence halls are locked in the evening for your safety. Please don't prop these doors open or let strangers into your hall. If you are visiting a friend after a hall is locked, arrange to meet him or her in the lobby or have them call you on the courtesy phone located near the lobby reception desk.
- If you receive threatening or obscene phone calls, hang up immediately. Report any such calls to Public Safety (2151) or a residence hall staff member immediately.
State Side Building Security
It is the policy of Northern Michigan University to allow students and non-University personnel access to University facilities only under the supervision of University employees. (Please note that students on the payroll of the University are considered employees and may have supervisory duties.)
It is recognized, however, that on occasion it may be necessary for students to use University facilities when supervision by a University employee is not possible.
Under these circumstances, the following guidelines are to be followed:
1. Whenever possible, all students are to use University facilities under the supervision of a University employee.
2. Students who are unable to use University facilities during supervised hours, but must use these areas to complete projects assigned by their instructor, supervisor, or advisor may do so if:
a. they have prior written approval from the instructor, supervisor, or advisor specifying the project which will be worked on and the hours they will be using the facility;
b. they have prior written approval from the unit or individual responsible for the facility, or area, if different from a, above;
c. they have in their possession a copy of the written approval, to be shown to University employees, upon request;
d. the Public Safety Department and the unit or individual responsible for the facility, or area, have been provided a copy of the written approval.
3. Students are not to be given building keys or given unlimited access to any University building unless their University employment necessitates it, and they have prior written approval of the appropriate President's Council member.