Emergency Response and Personal Safety

In Case of Emergency

How to Report an Emergency

Students are required to immediately report any incident including medical emergency, fire, thefts, vandalism, suspicious individuals to Campus Safety.

• Dial 911
• Campus Safety will be notified if 911 is called from any campus extension.
• For campus emergencies – call 717.361.1111.  If you are calling from a college phone, dial Ext. 1111.

For Non-Emergencies, students can report incidents to Campus Safety

• Call 717.361.1264 to speak with a Campus Safety Dispatcher
• Submit information using the LiveSafe App
• To report information about a crime that has occurred on campus, students may use the ECTipline Web page.

Local Law Enforcement Contact Information

Elizabethtown College is served by the Elizabethtown Police and the Northwest Lancaster County Regional Police Department:

Elizabethtown Police Department
600 South Hanover Street
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
717.367.6540 (non-emergencies)

Northwest Lancaster County Regional Police Department
8855 Elizabethtown Road
Elizabethtown, PA 17022
717.367.8481 (non-emergencies)

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Emergency Medical Response

Student Medical Emergency

Remain calm. Immediately call 911 or Campus Safety at 717.361.1111. Explain the situation and where you are located. Provide information related to the person’s complaint. A medical unit will be dispatched if necessary. Stay with the person until emergency responders arrive. Do not move the person unless in obvious immediate danger. If trained and willing to do so, administer CPR and use AED if necessary.

In cases of a student medical emergency, all medical decisions and treatment will be made by the responding ambulance crew. In some cases, students will be transported to a local hospital for additional care. If a student declines medical treatment or transport to the hospital, the College reserves the right to take interim action in an effort to maintain the health, safety, and welfare of students, employees, and the campus community. Students may wish to consider ambulance subscription services available through Northwest EMS 86 by calling 717.361.8220 or www.nwems86.org.

Consistent with the concern related to life threatening illness and serious infectious diseases, the College offers the following range of resources:

1. Student educational and information available through the Student Health office.
2. Counseling and support services available through the Counseling Services office.
3. Referral to agencies and organizations which offer supportive services available through the Counseling Services and Student Health offices and other Student Life offices.

Educational programs dealing with specific serious infectious diseases that are particularly threatening to college-age students are sponsored by the Student Health Staff.

Students who leave for emergency medical treatment must contact the Associate Dean of Students for Counseling and Health Needs upon their return to campus.

Student Mental Health Crisis

After Hours

Call Campus Safety at 717.361.1111 to be connected with the Counseling Services on-call Counselor.

24 Hour Help Lines in the Community

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Text or Call (988)

Crisis Text Line: Text Home to 741-741

Lancaster County Crisis Intervention Services: 717.394.2631

Lancaster YWCA Sexual Assault Counseling & Prevention Hotline:  717.392.7273

Red Folder 

All Staff and Faculty members are given access to an emergency information resource known as the Red Folder. The Red Folder contains information on the Student Life On Call Response team and how to activate it. It also contains information on emergency response protocols, student intervention protocols, and diversity, inclusion, and Title IX resources. 

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Notification of an Emergency (ECAlert)

Emergency Notification and Timely Warning Procedures

The campus community (faculty/staff/students) will be notified in a timely manner (through a variety of communication delivery channels) when crimes or other incidents that threaten personal safety occur. 

Elizabethtown College has defined two different levels of communication, each determined by the type and urgency of the identified incident. These are detailed below:    

Emergency Notification (using the EC Alert system)

EC Alert is Elizabethtown College’s communications system for sharing important information about situations that affect the safety of our campus community.

Scope of an ECAlert notification:  An emergency notification will be issued in the event of a significant emergency or dangerous situation currently occurring on campus which poses an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees. Under the Clery Act, the College is required to immediately notify the campus community.

Examples:

• Outbreak of infectious disease such as meningitis, norovirus or other serious illness
• Approaching tornado, hurricane or other extreme weather conditions
• Earthquake
• Gas leak or chemical spill
• Nuclear incident at a neighboring reactor
• Terrorist incident
• Armed intruder/Active shooter
• Bomb threat
• Civil unrest, rioting or campus protest
• Explosion or campus-wide/residential fire

When will an ECAlert be issued? All students, faculty and staff of Elizabethtown College and their emergency contacts  receive an emergency notification message without delay and immediately upon confirmation by Campus Safety, Elizabethtown Police, Elizabethtown Fire Department or other first responder agency that a dangerous situation or emergency exists or threatens. Upon confirmation, the agency making the confirmation will communicate their findings back to the Campus Safety Dispatch Center who will then initiate the emergency notification system. 

When sending out an emergency notification, the College will take into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of the responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

This contact information-students’ mobile phone numbers and the contact information for their emergency contacts-will be collected through JayWeb during  Check-in, which is held in August and January of each year. Students are responsible for updating this contact information, through JayWeb, as necessary throughout the semester. The EC Alert system is tested once per semester. The date of the test will be announced in Campus News.

How will an ECAlert be issued?

ECAlert messages may be sent to campus e-mail addresses, external e-mail addresses, on- and off-campus telephones, and text-enabled devices. The phone calls will appear to come from 717.361.1988, which is the College’s emergency hotline. Emails will come from either EC Alert or ecalert@etown.edu. Text messages will appear with a short code that is dependent on the last digit of the recipient’s phone number. For more information on the short codes used by the EC Alert system, please visit https://www.etown.edu/offices/security/alert.aspx 

ECAlert System—use of message templates which are populated with incident-specific information. Email, text messages, and voice mail messages (where appropriate) are automatically generated.

• Website Updates—information will be posted to the College’s website
• Emergency Hotline Updates- information will be updated on the information hotline (717.361.1988)
• In addition to posting information on the College website, the Office of Marketing and Communications will get information out to the larger community, if necessary, by issuing press releases.

Who is responsible for sending an ECAlert?  The Emergency Management Group (EMG) of Elizabethtown College is responsible for developing the content of emergency notifications, and for determining the deployment of the ECAlert system for use in disseminating emergency notification/information to the appropriate segment of the population.  Generally, the entire campus community will be alerted to an emergency on campus, whether it disrupts the entire college operation or a single building.  ECAlerts are sent by either the Office of Marketing and Communications or Campus Safety at the direction of the President of the College, the Emergency Management Group Chair, or the Director of Campus Safety.

If you have any concerns about the validity of an EC Alert message, please call the College’s emergency hotline at 717.361.1988 or visit the College’s homepage, as the Emergency Management Group also will post emergency notices at these locations.

Closing the Communication Loop 

In ECAlert scenarios outlined above, the College will issue a “wrap-up” communication which will serve to close the communication loop for each incident. The campus community deserves the reassurance that law enforcement, Campus Safety, or Housing & Residence Life have investigated and brought the incident to a satisfactory conclusion. 

Timely Warning

Scope of a Timely Warning notification: A timely warning, via an email message titled “Timely Warning”, is triggered when certain crimes have occurred (murder, rape, robbery, burglary, arson, aggravated assault, motor vehicle theft, hate crimes) and the particular circumstances of that incident represent a serious and continuing ongoing threat to the campus community. The timely warning is issued in an effort to aid in the prevention of similar crimes. As a timely warning is meant to increase awareness of criminal activity, the names of victims will not be disclosed in a “Timely Warning” message.

The Clery Act specifies that “an institution that issues an emergency notification (EC Alert) is NOT required to issue a timely warning based on the same circumstance; however, the institution must provide adequate follow-up information to the campus community as needed.” 

Examples of a Timely Warning: Murder, rape, robbery, burglary, hate crimes, arson, motor vehicle theft, aggravated assaults and other violent crimes that impact people or assets (buildings, cars, personal possessions) where the perpetrator no longer remains at large and for which an immediate dangerous condition no longer exists for students or employees. (For example, the College notifies the community about a rash of motor vehicle thefts which occurred in the Brown Lot on the previous day.)

When will a Timely Warning be issued? A timely warning will be issued as soon as the pertinent information is available.  

How will a Timely Warning be issued? “Timely Warning” via email, as required by the Clery Act.

Who sends a Timely Warning? The Director of Campus Safety (in consultation with local law enforcement),Vice President of Student Life and  Dean of Students, and the Office of Marketing and Communications are responsible for determining if a timely warning is to be issued. The College’s Marketing and Communication office will issue all “Timely Warning” announcements to students, faculty, and staff.

Tracking the Communication Process

The incident will be tracked, from initial reporting to full conclusion, inclusive of time-stamped phone calls and electronic communications in order to assess the timeliness of decision-making and communication for post-event evaluation.

Snow and Inclement Weather Notification

During snow and inclement weather, the College will follow established procedures regarding classes and other scheduled on-campus events. It is important for students to be aware of the following:

• In inclement weather, classes at Elizabethtown College typically will meet as scheduled. On an individual basis, classes may be canceled or postponed if a faculty member is unable to safely travel to campus. If this occurs, faculty members are requested to notify their students and Campus Safety.
• If the normal schedule of classes and work is delayed or if campus is closed and classes are cancelled, a decision is made, if possible, by 5:30am.
• Delay:  Classes scheduled during the time of delay do not meet; all other classes meet at their regularly scheduled times. 
• Closing:  No classes will be held; campus events and home athletic events are cancelled; and all administrative and department offices are closed (with the exceptions outlined below). 
• Announcements regarding changes in the overall class schedule resulting from inclement weather will be made electronically through an EC-Alert outreach text, through social media outlets and by a campus-wide Headline News e-mail, or on the College website. Additionally, local media outlets may be notified, but members of the campus community are encouraged to first check text, social media, College e-mail, the College website, or to call the College Hotline at 717.361.1988 or ext. 1988 for updated information.
• Dining Services, Campus Safety, and other essential campus services will remain open regardless of the weather. Student workers in these areas are expected to report, even if they have to be late. If, for safety or personal reasons, they cannot reach campus, they are expected to call their supervisor.

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Personal Safety Tips and Resources

LiveSafe Personal Safety Application

LiveSafe is a mobile application that empowers students to share safety concerns, suspicious activity, sexual assault, and other crime by turning their smartphones into powerful personal safety tools. LiveSafe facilitates discreet and risk-free bystander intervention by community members through information sharing with Campus Safety. Through iPhone and Android devices, users can report GPS-tagged information with added pictures, video, and audio clips. Campus Safety Officers are able to respond to users using a real-time two-way chat, or investigate further using the information submitted by the users. Using the SafeWalk feature of the LiveSafe app, individuals can “virtually escort” each other and monitor each other’s location on a real-time map. Simultaneously, SafeWalkers can chat with one another or call 911 in-app if needed. Additionally, users can conveniently access essential safety resources & info, including a map with crime data and safety locations. LiveSafe is available to use for all faculty, staff, students, and parents.

Safety Escort Service

Campus Safety will provide a safety escort for students, staff, or faculty, anywhere from one on-campus location to any other on-campus location. Escorts will most often be offered on foot, but may be offered by vehicle if our officer staff deems the situation warrants vehicle service.  Call Ext. 1264 or 717.361.1264 to request this service. Requests for Safety Escorts may also be made from any Blue Light Phone on campus. Using the SafeWalk feature of the LiveSafe app, individuals can “virtually escort” each other and monitor each other’s location on a real-time map. Simultaneously, SafeWalkers can chat with one another or call 911 in-app if needed.

Blue Light Phone Service

Blue Light Phones are strategically placed on campus for your safety and convenience. Blue Light phones offer a direct phone connection to the Campus Safety Dispatcher. The Dispatcher is able to determine the location of each blue light phone once it is activated.

Tips for Personal Safety:

• Keep your door locked, even if you are leaving for only a few minutes or are going just down the hall
• Don’t leave valuables in plain sight in your vehicle. Store them in the trunk or other compartment.
• Avoid walking in dark or poorly lit areas.
• Have your keys ready as you approach your residence or car.
• If you believe you are being followed, call Campus Safety 717.361.1111, or dial 911.
• Make a plan with friends before going out to parties and events.
• Always be aware of your surroundings, and follow your instincts.

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Missing Student Emergency

A student will be deemed missing when they are absent from the College for more than 24 hours without any known reason. The College will conduct a collaborative response if a student living in college-owned or leased housing who based on the facts and circumstances known to the College is determined to be missing.

Anyone who believes a residential student to be missing for more than 24 hours should report their concern to Campus Safety which will investigate each report and make a determination whether the student is missing. Should anyone other than Campus Safety receive a missing student report, they should immediately notify Campus Safety

In accordance with the Higher Education Act of 2008, each residential student, regardless of age, will have the opportunity to identify an individual to be contacted by the College within 24 hours of determining that the student is missing.  This registered, confidential, emergency information will only be available to Campus Safety,the Dean of Students and members of the Student Life on-call team, and will only be disclosed to law enforcement personnel in furtherance of a missing person investigation. This individual does not have to be a parent or guardian. Students have the opportunity to update this contact information on an annual basis by completing the check-in process through JayWeb. More information about how to update the emergency contact information can be found here.

If a missing student is under the age of 18 and not emancipated, the College is required to notify the parent or guardian of the missing student no later than 24 hours after the determination by Campus Safety that the student is missing. Campus Safety will also notify the Elizabethtown Police Department no later than 24 hours after it determines any student, regardless of age, is missing.

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Procedures Regarding College ID Cards

Every student is issued an Elizabethtown College ID Card by Campus Safety. The ID card is non-transferable and should not be shared with others.

• Your ID card is your official Elizabethtown College identification and must be carried with you at all times. Your College ID Card includes your name, photo, and student ID number.
• The College ID Card functions as an electronic key to admit students to their college residence hall and academic buildings. 
• Elizabethtown College ID cards must be shown to College officials upon request. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action. College ID cards found in the possession of someone other than the cardholder will be confiscated by a Campus Safety officer. The cardholder may reclaim the card at the Campus Safety Office.
• The College ID Card provides access to your Meal Plan at the Marketplace and at the Jay’s Nest (Jay Bucks) and must be presented for all meals. Your ID Card provides individual access to vending, the Fitness Center, and is used to check out materials at the High Library. It can also be used to charge purchases at the College Store and the Jay’s Nest, and for copier charges.
• Treat this card as you would a credit card. It is as valuable as cash on campus. Charge activity via your College ID card is billed on a monthly basis. Any balance not paid by the due date is subject to finance charges of 1.5% per month or 18% per annum.
• The College ID Card may be required for admission to College events such as athletic contests, Office of Student Activities events, exhibitions and public lectures, and dramatic theater productions.
• The College’s Time and Attendance System requires student employees in some departments to use their College ID card. Students are required to have their College ID card with them whenever reporting to work.
• The College will include a student’s preferred first name on their College ID Card (instead of their legal name) when the student has provided the College with their preferred first name that they wish to use for College business (except where, by law, the College is required to use the student’s legal first name).  Students who already have a College ID Card but wish to obtain one with their preferred first name indicated on the card should contact Campus Safety.  The College will provide a new card to the student, containing the student’s preferred first name, at no cost to the student, provided that the student surrenders their current College ID Card before receiving their new card.  Because the College ID Card may not be recognized by others outside the College community as a documentation of identification, all students are strongly encouraged to carry with them at all times a government-issued form of identification (e.g. driver’s license).

Call Campus Safety immediately at 717.361.1264 to report lost or stolen ID Cards.

• If your College ID card is lost or is damaged by neglect (including the punching of holes in the card), you will need to purchase a new one through Campus Safety. The cost of a new card is $30. This replacement fee will be billed to your student account.
• Dining Services (offices in Brossman Commons, Room 135) can issue a temporary ID card valid for three (3) days or nine (9) meals, whichever comes first. This temporary ID card is only valid at The Marketplace. It may not be used for Jay Bucks or other types of student charges. Dining Services will not issue a temporary ID card until you report your original card as lost to Campus Safety
• You will be responsible for all transactions made with your College ID card until you report the loss to Campus Safety.

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Vehicle Registration and Parking Regulations

All motor vehicles used by students, faculty, staff, and overnight visitors on College property must be registered with Campus Safety. Vehicle registration for students must be renewed annually. Starting with the Class of 2025, the cost of student parking is included in the Comprehensive Fee. The Class of 2024, the cost for parking is $100 per academic year or $50 for the semester for residential students and is $50 per academic year or $25 for the semester for commuter students. Failure to register a vehicle will result in an UNREGISTERED VEHICLE violation. Three Unregistered Vehicle Violations will result in immobilization of the vehicle and may be routed to conduct. 

Students must pre-register vehicles in JayWeb, using the Student Vehicle Registration form. Students may only register their own vehicle (a student may not register a vehicle for another student). Vehicles must be owned by the student or immediate family member. If the owner of the vehicle is someone other than the registrant, a letter from the owner authorizing the registrant to use the vehicle is required at the time of registration. A valid state registration (owner’s) card, proof of current insurance and driver’s license must be presented at the time of registration.

For additional information on vehicle registration and parking regulations, please go to https://www.etown.edu/offices/security/parkingregs.aspx

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