Safety Awareness

The Clemson University Police Department encourages students, faculty and staff to be responsible for their own security, as well as the security of others. The University strives to increase safety and security awareness by offering educational programs and disseminating information related to personal safety.

Public Safety Educational Programs

The Clemson University Police and Fire staff offers numerous educational and personal safety programs for students, faculty and staff. The following programs and many more are offered each semester.

• Rape Awareness — Classes for men and women that discuss stranger rape, acquaintance rape and risk-reduction techniques.
• Rape Aggression Defense — A practical self-management program designed to educate women on techniques that reduce the risk of becoming a rape victim and how to escape an attack.
• Sexual Awareness for Men — A program designed to educate men on S.C. law, communication, how to prevent rape and what happens when a rape occurs at Clemson.
• Common Sense Self-Defense — Police officers interact with participants to provide information on crime in the workplace and at home and to give practical risk-reduction techniques.
• Violence in the Workplace — An educational program that identifies the problems and characteristics associated with workplace violence.
•  Campus Safety: Crime at Clemson — An informative program that discusses the types of crimes that occur at Clemson and offers advice on reducing the risk of becoming a victim.
• DUI (Driving Under the Influence) Awareness — Uniformed officers discuss state law and present DUI arrest demonstrations. Law enforcement and safety presentations can be tailored to a specific group or situation. For more information, contact the Clemson University Police Department at (864) 656-2222.

Residential Programs

The Residential Life Office offers a variety of educational programming for students living in University Housing and serves as a resource for resident assistants and other staff in the development of programs. Together with resident directors and resident assistants, the Residential Life staff addresses and formulates policies, provides programming in all areas, handles crises and counsels students on a variety of personal and emotional concerns.

The Office of Health Promotion Programs

Redfern Health Center’s Office of Health Promotion promotes and provides support for healthy lifestyles and the reduction of high-risk behaviors. Peer educators, graduate assistants and professional health educators offer information, programming, counseling and referrals on a wide range of subjects, including alcohol/drug abuse, tobacco cessation, sexual assault, sexual responsibilities, AIDS/HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases. Most programs involve students in role-playing activities that demonstrate the consequences of high-risk behavior, provide opportunities for students to discuss these issues and explain the media’s involvement in glorifying drugs, alcohol and sex.

Goals of the sexual assault and sexual responsibility programs are to help students clarify male and female expectations in social situations; increase awareness of the dangers of alcohol and drug use, including the consequences of intoxication and sexual activity; improve male and female communication; and explain University policies and state laws regarding alcohol and drug use. Programs are presented by members of the Health Promotion staff and include a question-and-answer session and evaluation. Free educational materials on these and other programs are available.

Student-Athlete Enrichment Program

Through the Student-Athlete Enrichment Programs at Vickery Hall, a facility built by private contributions to the Athletic Department, counseling, tutoring and other academic support services are provided for Clemson student athletes. All freshmen are required to take a personal growth and development program in the fall which meets once a week. The program focuses on three primary areas: academics, career planning and personal development. The personal development program includes educational programs, speakers, a mentoring program and other activities designed to help student athletes deal responsibly with alcohol and drugs, date relationships, conflict resolution and other issues.

Timely Warning

In the event that a situation either on or off campus, that, in the judgment of the Clemson University Chief of Police, or his/her designee, is an ongoing or continuing threat, a campus wide “Timely Warning” will be issued. Information is disseminated as follows:

• The Office of Media Relations will be responsible for issuing the Timely Warning by e-mail to students’ and employees’ campus e-mail addresses.
• Timely Warnings are posted on the CU Safety Web site
•  Timely Warnings may be posted to other locations, including both public and university media channels as deemed appropriate.

Immediate Emergency Response

In the event of a significant emergency or dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or staff occurring on the campus, some or all of the following notification systems may be activated by the Clemson University Chief of Police or his/her designee unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency:

• The campus exterior sirens with audio messages.
• The CU Safe Alert system which includes a brief message sent to students’ and employees’ e-mail addresses, registered cellular text message recipients and/or the CU Safety Web site.
• Follow up information may be posted on the CU Safety Web site and in Timely Warnings or other News Services e-mail publications.
• Other notifications determined appropriate given the circumstances and the segment of campus that needs to be notified.
• Students and employees can register for cellular text messages at www.clemson.edu/cusafety.
• Members of the community can access safety information at www.clemson.edu/cusafety.
• The campus emergency notification systems are tested on a quarterly basis and regularly scheduled drills, exercises including tabletop and appropriate follow-through activities designed for assessment and evaluation of emergency