Residential Life Safety Protocols and Policies

Hall Safety Measures Include: 

• Locked Hall Entrance Doors.
• Programmed ID cards are needed to open entrance doors and suite doors.
• Keys are needed to open bedroom and apartment doors.
• Security cameras located around the buildings and common areas.
• 24-hour residence hall desk staff for getting immediate help from a staff member.
• Repairs/replacements of doors, keys, locks.
• Nightly rounds by the Resident Assistant(s) on duty.
• Periodic safety walk-throughs to check interior lighting, exit signs, fire doors, stairwells, etc.
• Floor meetings, educational programs, and flyers.
  Bicycle and Vehicle registration policies: register both with the Office of Residential Life in North Hall. Authorized locations to store your registered bike with a high-quality bicycle lock are the provided bicycle racks outside each hall. Bicycles locked to railings, lamp posts, ramps, stairwells, etc. Follow all University Parking policies in operating your vehicle.

UNOPD Safety Programs include: 

• 24-hour full-service police department responding to emergency calls (police, fire, rescue, ambulance)
• Security escorts by uniformed police officers (24 hours)
• Outdoor emergency phones to call escorts or summon police
• Surveillance cameras that monitor selected on-campus locations
• Text and Alerts to provide emergency notifications. Register your device today. 
• Crime prevention programs
  Crime statistics reported annually in compliance with federal regulations

• Cook only in designated kitchen spaces. Do not leave stove, oven, or microwave unattended when in use.
• Use only power strips that have either 14- or 12-gauge wire, built-in surge protectors and circuit breakers.
• Limit the number of appliances that are plugged in or in use at one time.
• Do not have open heating elements in your room.
• Do not use a frayed or worn extension cord.
• Do not use or possess fireworks, lighted candles, flammable fuels, space heaters, halogen lamps/bulbs, or firearms.
• Do not smoke or allow others to smoke in your room or anywhere else inside the residence halls.
• Do not cover over, or tamper with, your room’s smoke detector.
• Never drape clothes or any paper, wood, cloth, or plastic material over a lamp, smoke detector, sprinkler head, or pipes.
• Only use grills for outdoor cooking in approved areas.
  Do no use, possess, charge, and/or store electronic skateboards including self-balancing hover boards/scooters and other similar equipment in all university residence halls.

During a Fire Alarm: 

You must leave the building immediately when a fire alarm is sounding. If safe to do so, close your window, room/suite/apartment doors and immediately exit the building. Use stairs, not elevators. Always assume each alarm is an emergency; never assume a false alarm. Do not open door if knob is warm to the touch; stay in room and call 911 or University police. Crawl on floor (where air is fresher) if you encounter smoke.

If you smell smoke or see smoke or fire:

• • Pull the nearest building alarm.
  • Close your room door.
  • Safely exit the building.
  • Call University police at (504) 280-6666. Tell UNOPD the exact location of fire or smoke.
  • Never attempt to fight or put out a fire.

If you get trapped by fire or smoke:

• • Call University police and report that you are trapped.
  • Keep the doors closed.
  • Hang an object out the window to notify rescuers of your location.
  • Know locations of exit stairwells and doors.
  • Plan more than one exit route.

Note: All residence halls are equipped with automatic sprinklers. When water flows through the sprinkler heads, the building alarm system will automatically sound. It is important that you do not tamper with the sprinkler heads or the system. Students tampering with the system, even accidentally, are liable for damage to University and private property and subject to administrative action.

All bomb threats reported to the University are taken seriously.

If a bomb threat is received:

• Notify University police to report the emergency

• Notify your service desk

University police will respond to your location and assess the bomb threat. Once the police have assessed the situation, then the police will initiate appropriate action. Only the University police will decide if an evacuation needs to occur, when it will occur, and how the evacuation will be announced and residents notified to evacuate. The notification to evacuate may be accomplished by the police activating the building fire alarm system, or they may decide to choose an alternate method of evacuation notification (air horns, phone, door-to-door) based on the circumstances and after assessing the situation of the particular bomb threat incident.

University officials regularly monitor weather conditions. During hurricane season (July- November), university officials monitor and track hurricanes, tropical storms and tropical depressions for potential to impact our university community. As per university hurricane protocol, students are notified of university preparations for a storm which may potentially impact our community via the following means: 

• University of New Orleans Email 
• Text Alerts (Subscribe Today)
• University website, university managed social media and the local news media

Safety protocols during a hurricane or tropical storm may vary depending on the strength and path of the storm. Use the guides below to prepare as appropriate. 

What to expect in a campus hurricane evacuation

What to expect in a weather "Shelter In Place" event

Emerging Inclement weather conditions are monitored by University Safety Personnel. Students are encouraged to plan ahead for their evacuation plans in the event of a hurricane nearing New Orleans. While limited spaces are available within the University evacuation protocols, students who do have available resources to evacuate with family and friends are encouraged to do so. Campus evacuations and closures will be communicated thru the university email and text alert services.

EARLY WARNING SYSTEM

The campus Early Warning System is designed to provide instant notification to students, faculty, and staff of imminent dangerous conditions.

In an emergency, sirens around campus will sound continuously for at least three minutes.

If you ever hear the Early Warning siren:

• • If in your residence hall or apartment, stay inside/in your room, and seek information from university alerts.
  • If outdoors, seek shelter inside the closest building.
  • When danger has passed, a single 30-second siren blast will sound.

TEXT & EMAIL ALERTS

Another means of notification is available to those who subscribe  to an alert system that sends text messages, in an emergency, to your email, mobile phone, pager, or other text-enabled device. Use the link below to register your device. 

When residents’ family/friends report concerns about student welfare to Office of Residential Life staff,  our staff will take steps to respond to the report that include attempting to contact the student and notifying the University of New Orleans University Police Department to assist with contacting the student. Per federal law, students have the right to confidentially register the name and contact information of an individual who you would like to have contacted (within 24 hours) if it is determined that you have been missing from the campus and your whereabouts unknown for a period of 24 hours or more. You can register the name and phone number of this contact person with your Area Coordinator and updating your emergency contact card. For students under the age of 18 (who are not emancipated individuals), the Office of Residential Life is required to notify your custodial parent or guardian (within 24 hours) if it is determined that you have been missing from the campus and your whereabouts unknown for a period of 24 hours or more.