Campus Resources 

Saint Joseph's University Security A Shared Responsibility . . .

Who is responsible for Safety and Security at Saint Joseph's University?
The safety and security of all who live, work and visit Saint Joseph's University is of paramount importance to the entire Saint Joseph's community. The primary concern of the Department of Public Safety and Security is to seek to provide the highest reasonable level of security on our 98 acre campus. Our SJU community shares this responsibility and during the school year, several crime prevention and security forums are conducted. This "shared responsibility" is a very important element of our overall safe learning environment.

The Federal Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, or Clery Act, and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Act 73, College and University Security and Information Act require the publication and distribution of the following information, as well as the keeping of an open crime log that is available for inspection in security headquarters at Barbelin Hall, Rm 13. Information for this Report was compiled by the Department of Public Safety and Security, in consultation with Student Life. It includes all reports to Security, Residence Life, other Campus Security Authorities and local police departments, regardless of whether they have been determined to have occurred.

Statistics
* The statistics listed below are the number of crimes reported to Security. They do not reflect the outcome of investigations by Saint Joseph's University Security or the pertinent police department. 

The number of crimes listed above that were motivated by prejudice or are considered hate crimes is 0.

Definitions of terms found within the Clery Act.

Campus–Any building or property owned or controlled by an institution of higher education within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution and used by the institution in direct support of, or in a manner related to the institution's educational purposes, including residence halls or any property that is within or reasonably contiguous to the institution and 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).

Non-campus Building or Property–Any building or property owned or controlled by a student organization recognized by the University and any building or property (other than a branch campus) owned or controlled by an institution of higher education that is used in direct support of, or in relation to, the institution's educational purpose, is frequently used by students, and is not within the same reasonably contiguous geographic area of the institution. Saint Joseph’s University does not have any Non-campus Buildings or Property as defined.

Public Property–All public property that is within the campus or immediately adjacent to and accessible from the campus, such as a sidewalk, a street, other thoroughfare, or parking facility.

Pennsylvania College & University Information Act Crime Rates

The Pennsylvania College and University Security Information Act requires the release of crime statistics and rates to students and employees. The rate is based on the actual number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) students and employees which is calculated according to the following state mandated formula. The formula is the number of FTE students (4417) plus the number of FTE employees (which is the sum of full time employees plus one-half the number of part time employees or 938). The FTE is therefore 5355 or 18.67. The rate is obtained by dividing this figure into 100,000 and multiplying the quotient by the individual statistics to produce the crime rate per 100,000 persons in each category.

How is the Department Structured?
The Department of Public Safety and Security reports to the Vice President for Administrative Services and consists of a Director, Assistant Director Operations, Assistant Director Administration, 3 Patrol Shift Managers, 9 Patrol Shift Supervisors,  80 officers, 66 residence center desk attendants and 14 gate attendants.

Security officers must be certified under Commonwealth of PA Lethal Weapons Training Act 235 prior to employment. Additional pre-service training is provided to all new officers. Security officers do not carry firearms. They are employees of Saint Joseph's and as such, operate solely as agents of the University. Criminal investigations are conducted by one of the two outside law enforcement agencies that are responsible for coverage at Saint Joseph's. They are Lower Merion Township on Merion Campus and Philadelphia on Central and Overbrook Campuses. The security department has a longstanding and successful working relationship with both departments.  While these relationships are well established, they are not memorialized in any written agreement.  They will report student off-campus involvement in criminal activity to the University. We also encourage all crime victims to report any criminal incidents to local police.

High-rise residence centers are monitored by security personnel on a 24 hour basis. The high-rise residence centers are equipped with state-of-the-art access systems. The SJU community is encouraged to report anything suspicious or criminal to the Department of Public Safety and Security on the campus phone system using the number 1111 (660-1111). Anonymous reporting can be accomplished on the security website at tips@sju.edu or by calling 610-660-1161 after normal business hours. One hundred and fifty emergency phones are located throughout the campus, inside and outside buildings. Dialing is not required on these phones. Escort service is available for anyone in the University community.

The campus is divided into several patrol areas and when unsafe conditions (landscape, lighting, etc.) are noted, the proper department is notified. Fire alarms, emergency phones and lights are inspected and tested on a monthly basis.

Security and crime prevention presentations are made at student forums during the year. Articles are also published in the student newspaper. Members of the security department address all freshmen at orientation sessions at the beginning of each school year. In addition, the University provides timely notice to the campus commuity regarding crimes considered to be a threat to the safety of or health of students and employees which are reported to Public Safety or the local police. The manner of notification depends upon the particular circumstances of the crime. Means of communication such as telephone voice mail broadcast messages, electronic mail, University publications, Attention Bulletins, and the student newspaper are available for this purpose. The University also has a siren/public address warning system and a cell phone text messaging system in the event of an emergency.

Who makes up the Saint Joseph's Community
There are 7700 students enrolled at Saint Joseph's University across full and part time programs both undergraduate and graduate. Approximately 60% of the undergraduate day students live in University housing. Saint Joseph's employs 322 full-time faculty, 249 adjunct faculty, 791 full-time employees and 132 part-time employees. Criminal background checks are conducted on all new employees.

The University has no policy concerning the admission of students with criminal records and applicants are not questioned concerning their criminal record. If a prospective student's criminal conduct comes to the University's attention, appropriate consideration is given in the application process.

The Pennsylvania State Sex Offender Registery can be reached by phone at 717-783-4363 or via email at http://www.pameganslaw.state.pa.us/.

What about Campus Housing?
Campus housing consists of 11 high-rise buildings and 11 smaller houses. Students also live in university owned multi-story buildings away from main campus. Housing is apartment style in the latter. While most rooms are doubles, there are a few singles and triples. Houses are single sex. High-rises are co-educational according to wings with single sex suites. Housing is limited to undergraduate students.

Campus housing remains open for student occupancy from August 15th through May 15th. During the winter and summer breaks, when classes are not in session, most residence halls are closed.

Student's rooms are equipped with knob locks, night latches on the doors and window locks. Suites have card access readers.

An area coordinator is responsible for each high-rise. Each hall within a high-rise has a resident assistant. Security training is required for all resident staff prior to the beginning of classes. Monthly staff meetings for resident assistants include an update on problems and discussion of potential solutions.

Housing for upperclassmen is based on a lottery while freshmen are assigned according to their request and space limitations. Changes are made on a space available basis.

Visitors to high-rises must identify themselves, be escorted into the building by their host, leave identification at the desk and in the houses and apartments, guests are escorted by their host. Houses and apartments are locked and entrance can only be gained by a resident student allowing entrance.

Students may have a guest for not more than two consecutive days. Guest passes are issued and checked. Applicants for positions at the university are sometimes housed on campus, but space is rarely available.

Classes are usually limited to registered students, but lectures, athletic contests, and plays are open to the community. Certain events require campus ID and persons not having ID will be asked to leave the campus.

Saint Joseph's University does not normally undertake rental of its facilities. Consistent with its educational purposes, however, the University may accommodate the activity of responsible outside organizations when such activity is judged to be consistent with University educational purposes and mission.

Alcohol, Drugs and Firearms Policies
The carrying of or presence of a firearm is not permitted on University property with the only exception being when carried by deputized police officers on duty.

The university policies concerning the possession, use, and sale of alcoholic beverages and drugs are intended to conform to the statutes of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and are stated in full in the SJU Student Handbook.

In compliance with the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, no person under twenty-one years of age shall attempt to carry out the purchase, possession, consumption or transport of alcoholic beverages on University property or at any event sponsored by the University. No student or employee of the University shall attempt or carry out the transfer of any form of identification for the purpose of falsifying age in order to secure alcohol. No student or employee of the University shall give permission or render assistance in the sale, furnishing, or providing of alcohol to any person under the age of twenty-one.

Only under the conditions clearly stipulated in the University guidelines is the possession or consumption of alcoholic beverages by students twenty-one years of age and older permitted. This conditioned permission should not be interpreted to mean that the University encourages the use of alcoholic beverages. Furthermore, the University considers intoxication, disorderliness or offensive behavior deriving from the use of alcoholic beverages, regardless of a person's age, to be unacceptable and subject to disciplinary action.

To reflect its commitment to alcohol awareness, the University calls upon key individuals and departments to educate the University community on the dangers of alcohol abuse and to enforce policies on alcohol use: 1) The Drug/Alcohol Counselor coordinates alcohol education and programming as well as annual materials to assist students concerning alcohol usage. 2) The Office of Public Safety and Security assists in implementing and enforcing the policy, and monitors, using lobby attendants, individuals entering residence halls. 3) The Alcohol and Other Drug Task Force assists the Vice President for Student Life by making recommendations concerning the policy.

The illegal possession, use or distribution of drugs is prohibited within the University.

The University is in this regard vitally interested in the well-being of all members of its community and, therefore, offers assistance by making available to all members of its community a counseling office staffed by professionally trained personnel. The services of a qualified psychiatrist are also available. The University strongly urges its members to take advantage of these services. In addition, the Center for Counseling and Personal Development offers a comprehensive library collection on the topic of drug use and abuse.

Sexual Offense Policy

Saint Joseph's University policy on sexual offenses is stated in its entirety in the Saint Joseph's University Handbook and the University's web site at http://www.sju.edu/human_resources/policies/sex_offenses.htm. The policy identifies and describes procedures and resources available to those individuals who believe they have been a victim or victims of a sexual offense, identifies possible sanctions for violations of the policy, appeals procedures and educational programs.

Saint Joseph's University will not tolerate sexual offenses, whether forcible or non-forcible, on its campus or at any University-sponsored events, by any member of the SJU community regardless of location (i.e. on or off campus) when involving SJU students or employees. The University can and often will, in its sole discretion, take action under this policy for off-campus behavior.

An individual who believes that he or she has been a victim of a sexual offense is encouraged to report the matter immediately to the Office of Public Safety and Security (610-660-1111), and/or the local police (911).  In addition, the Harassment Advisory Team (HAT) is available to assist the students and employees in pursuing appropriate institutional remedies regarding reported conduct.  The names of the Harassment Advisors can be obtained from the Office of Human Resources, and/or by accessing the SJU website, www.sju.edu/hr (under "Policies").

The Office of Public Safety and Security will provide information about filing criminal charges. If the person making the report of a sexual offense so desires, the Office of Public Safety and Security will assist her or him in contacting the local police. This office will also provide information for contacting a member of REPP (Rape Education and Prevention Program; 610-733-0650, available 24 hours a day) if she or he so desires.

The Office of Public Safety and Security will also provide guidance to the individual concerning preservation of relevant evidence.

The Director of Residence Life, in consultation with other offices, as necessary, will make changes in the academic, living and/or employment situation of a student who has reported a sexual offense if such changes are reasonably feasible.

When the alleged offender is a student, the alleged offense will be handled under the Student Code and Student Judicial Process as a Major Violation. Both parties (the accused and the alleged victim) may have a support person from the SJU community who may accompany him/her during the hearing.

A sanction will be imposed for violation of this Policy. The University has wide discretion as to the sanctions that may be imposed, including removal from the residence community, removal from participation in extracurricular activities, suspension from the University and/or expulsion from the University. Appropriate sanctions may also be imposed upon groups or organizations found to have violated this policy. Both the accuser and the accused shall be informed of the University's final determination in a disciplinary proceeding and any sanction imposed against the accused.

Saint Joseph's University has developed a Rape Education and Prevention Program (REPP) and trained teams to assist an individual who has reported a sexual offense. REPP's web site, http://sju.edu/cas/sociology/rape_education/index.html contains information about reporting sexual offenses, medical treatment, victims' rights, criminal and disciplinary proceedings, the need for professional counseling, campus personnel and services available for victim assistance, information about testifying in court, feelings and reactions experienced by most victims and ways to deal with feelings.

The Center for Counseling and Personal Development (610-660-1090) offers confidential counseling to students for a wide variety of concerns, including the psychological effects of sexual offenses. Referral for in-patient or out-patient psychiatric care is also available to students, faculty and staff.

Important Phone Numbers
Department of Public Safety and Security 610-660-1111
Student Life Office 610-660-1045
Residence Life 610-660-1062
Police or Fire Emergency Lower Merion and Philadelphia 9-911
Admissions Office 610-660-1300
Graduate Studies 610-660-1760
University College 610-660-1264