Campus Safety

Sarah Lawrence College's fire safety program emphasizes proactive measures and response protocols to minimize fire risks and ensure the safety of its community. This includes fire prevention strategies, emergency procedures during a fire alarm, and conducting fire alarm drills monthly for public assembly buildings and quarterly for all other buildings. Fire safety inspections are performed in all spaces on campus during the academic year in conjunction with the New York State Office of Fire Prevention and Control to ensure we are in compliance with all fire and life safety codes. We maintain and inspect all fire alarms as per NFPA 72, sprinkler systems as per NFPA 25, fire extinguishers as per NFPA 10, and fire suppression systems for commercial kitchens as per NFPA 13. We also conduct fire and life safety educational outreach and training activities to help educate our community in evacuation, fire extinguisher use, how to report an emergency, activating a fire alarm, and cooking safety tips.

Sarah Lawrence College's environmental health and safety (EHS) program manages a variety of offerings to ensure a safe and healthy environment for the campus community. These programs include occupational safety, industrial hygiene, laboratory safety, chemical hygiene, environmental compliance, and hazardous waste management. The EHS program also provides a wide range of Environmental Health & Safety, lab safety, and OSHA compliance for faculty, staff, and students. Our department works with local, state, and federal partners to ensure compliance in all spaces.

The Sarah Lawrence Campus Safety team has three NYS Certified Emergency Medical Technicians and more than 30 team members trained as Emergency Medical Responders who completed 56 hours of additional training beyond the CPR/AED and basic first aid that all Campus Safety Officers are trained in. The Emergency Medical Response Team also manages the Campus AED and first aid kits throughout the campus.

The Campus Safety Communications Center (located on the first floor of Swinford Annex) is staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is the central dispatch location for Campus Safety, which includes traditional security concerns, fire alarm calls, emergency medical calls, and calls for service - (e.g., key assist, questions about shuttle services). Supervisors and Officers assigned to the Communications Center monitor the emergency and non-emergency phones, campus alarms, campus-wide CCTV, access control, and campus vehicles and shuttles via GPS. When you pick up any of the emergency phones located around campus, or dial the emergency number (ext. 2222 or 914-395-2222 from a cell phone/outside line), you will reach the Communications Center. We ask you to not use the 2222 emergency number for any calls other than emergencies in order to keep the line clear for real emergencies.

The Communications Center also houses the lost & found. Identification is required when claiming a lost item.

The Communications Center can be reached by dialing extension 2209 (or 914-395-2209) for non-emergency phone calls.

There are emergency phones/towers located throughout campus and in elevators. Pushing the button on these emergency phones automatically connects the caller to the Campus Safety Communications Center. In addition, please make a note of these important phone numbers:

Sarah Lawrence College campus safety measures include the following:

•  24/7/365 All-Hazard Campus Safety Services
• Campus Safety vehicle and foot patrols and stationary posts clearly visible conducting proactive all-hazard patrols
• Swinford Annex Communications Center staffed 24/7/365 to answer emergency line and communicate with officers in the field
• Card access monitoring; fire, intrusion and burglar alarms; surveillance cameras throughout the campus; sprinkler systems
• Emergency phones located throughout campus
• Enhanced campus and train shuttle service
• Safety workshops
• RADD workshops
• CPR/AED/Basic First Aid/NARCAN training
• Defibrillators on campus
• Campus Alert emergency notification system RAVE (email, text, phone) available to all students, faculty, and staff

Students, faculty, and staff who are on the College's medical transport list are transported throughout the campus by Campus Safety.

Visit the Disability Services site to learn more about the College's medical transport services

The Campus Facilities department maintains college facilities and grounds with a concern for safety and security. Safety hazards such as broken windows, locks, and lighting should be reported immediately for prompt repair. Campus Safety officers regularly submit on-site safety concerns and relevant Maxient/incident reports to the Campus Facilities department for appropriate actions in reference to lighting, access control devices, lock mechanisms, and overall safety concerns as they pertain to facilities.

Students, faculty, and staff are free to call the Campus Safety Communications Desk at (914) 395-2209 or email campussafety@slc.edu to request directed patrols/special attention of specific areas/buildings of the campus whenever needed.

• Report suspicious activity: Immediately report any suspicious persons or activity to Campus Safety at 914-395-2222.
• Be aware of your surroundings: Pay attention to your environment, especially when walking alone, and be aware of potential hiding spots/desolate areas.
• Walk with others: If possible, walk with friends or in groups, especially at night. 
• Utilize campus resources: Utilize the campus safety escort services (foot/vehicle), SLC SAFE app, or campus safety shuttle services at night, know the location of emergency call boxes.
• Trust your instincts: If you feel unsafe, go to a populated area or seek help.
• Be prepared to defend yourself: If confronted, make noise, don't panic, and be prepared to fight if necessary. 
• Don't be afraid to ask for help: If you feel uneasy walking alone, ask Campus Safety for an escort.
• Lock your doors and windows: Even when leaving for a short time, always lock your doors and windows.
• Do not prop open doors: This makes it easy for unauthorized individuals to enter. 
• Be cautious about who you let in: Never share your key or access card, and be cautious about admitting strangers.
• Report any issues: Report any broken locks or security equipment to the appropriate authorities. 
• Never leave your belongings unattended: Avoid leaving items unattended in public areas or unsecured in your room.
• Park in well-lit areas:  Avoid secluded parking areas.
• Lock your car:  Always lock your car and roll up the windows. 

During orientation at the start of each academic year, the AVP of Campus Safety and the Campus Safety management team lead a mandatory safety presentation to all new students. During this program, the AVP gives an overview of the department and resources and ways to prevent being a victim of crime through various safety tips.

Campus Safety also provides Campus Security Authority training to Residence Life staff and those identified as CSA’s on campus.

Campus Safety offers training and workshops in CPR/AED and basic first aid, mental health first aid, non-violent crises intervention, NARCAN use, and EHS safety training to students and staff in the Heimbold, Science, and Performing Arts centers.

Campus Safety also conducts regular safety drills and tests its emergency procedures while the community is on campus, turning it into a teaching moment.

Note: Campus Safety has certified instructors in these core areas for those intrested in any of our training programs availble during the course of the year:

CPI – Non-Violent Crises Intervention

RITE – Racial Intelligence/Emotional Intelligence Training

National Safety Council – CPR/AED/Basic First Aid

Stop the Bleed/Tourniquet Training

NYS DCJS – Narcan administration

MOAB - Management of Aggressive Behavior

Mental Health First Aid

NYS DCJS Mental Hygiene

RAD – Rape Aggression Defense

NYS DCJS Defensive Tactics

NYS DCJS Domestic Violence

ALERT/FLETCE Active Threat Response

Safety is all of our community members' responsibility, and the Campus Safety team strives to give all our community members the tools and training to be stewards of their own safety.

Safety awareness class classes can be scheduled by emailing  campussafety@sarahlawrence.edu. 

The cooperation and involvement of all members of the community in the College's safety programs is absolutely necessary for the programs to succeed. Students must assume responsibility for their own personal safety, fire safety awareness, and the security of their belongings by taking simple, common-sense precautions. For example: Although the campus is well lit, all students should use the Campus Safety escort shuttle when needed or travel in pairs on college pathways when returning to residence halls late at night. Room doors and windows should always be locked when they are unoccupied. Students should always report any suspicious-looking individuals to Campus Safety immediately.

The College has both single-sex and coed residence halls. Some of the residence halls are multi-usage buildings with classrooms and/or offices. Residence halls are kept locked 24 hours a day. Multi-usage residence halls without swipe card access are opened and closed by Campus Safety personnel on a specific schedule. Students are issued keys or cards to the outside doors of the residences and are required to keep them locked at all times. Propping doors open and lending access cards to non-affiliates is strictly prohibited.

The College has a resident Student Affairs staff, including administration, Resident Fellows, and student resident advisors. Administrators from Student Affairs and Campus Facilities are on-call 24 hours a day. The College also expects students to follow fire safety guidelines and to be responsible for a number of measures to ensure that they and their possessions are protected as much as possible.

Visitors to residence halls and the campus in general must abide by the College's visitor policy; more information on this and other college policies can be found in the Student Handbook.

Campus Safety Officers patrol all campus buildings with the exception of residence halls, but will respond to residence halls for calls for service, fire alarms, and medical emergencies or incidents. Students, faculty, and staff are required to carry proper college ID cards and must show them upon request to any Campus Safety Officer.

The Campus Safety department consists of 26 full time and three part time uniformed officers, six corporals/junior field supervisors/field training officers, six front line supervisors, and two support luitentants for training and incident follow up. The Director of Campus Safety oversees day-to-day patrol operations, investigations, and community engagement. The team also consists of an Associate Director of Electronic Security, Event Security Coordination, and Administration, an Associate Director of Fire Safety & EHS, and an Assistant Vice President who oversees and manages the entire Campus Safety team.

Campus Safety Officers are NYS Licensed Security Guards who are trained, certified, and registered in compliance with the New York State Security Guard Act, and they receive additional training in specialized areas such as the use of AEDs/CPR/Basic First Aid, Emergency Medical Responder Training, NARCAN administration, fire safety, sexual crimes investigation, implicit bias/RITE Training, Non-Violent Crise Intervention, Mental Health First Aid, Annual Security Guard Act Training, Title IX and Cleary Training, Active Threat, and Emergency Management Training. Officers must obey and enforce the laws and regulations of the Federal Government, New York State, the City of Yonkers, and Sarah Lawrence College.

Campus Safety Officers do not have arrest powers above those of a private citizen. They do have the authority to ask persons on campus property for identification to determine whether those individuals have lawful business at Sarah Lawrence College. Campus Safety Officers also have the authority to issue parking tickets on campus. Parking tickets issued to students are billed to their college financial accounts. The College works closely with city, state, and police agencies and city and county first responders, as appropriate.

Campus Safety Officers patrol the campus on foot and in vehicles throughout the day and night. In addition to their regular patrols, officers respond immediately to emergencies, escort students when the Student Shuttle is not running, open and close various facilities, patrol parking areas, issue parking tickets, monitor and respond to all burglar, duress, and fire alarms, and respond for service when students, faculty, or staff are locked out of dorms or offices.

Proactivity, Preparedness, and Promoting Community: Jim Verdicchio's Vision of Campus Safety

The Sarah Lawrence Podcast
SLCP-EP46- Campus Safety with Jim Verdicciho