Campus Safety Resources

Lenoir-Rhyne University provides crime prevention programs that are available throughout the year. These programs provide insight to keep you and your property safe and secure. Topics typically include but are not limited to:

• Fire safety
• Residence hall safety
• Vehicle safety
• Alcohol and drug awareness
• Sexual assault awareness
• Personal safety
• Overseas safety awareness
• 24-hour escort service

The university is an open campus and all buildings except residence halls are accessible to anyone during normal hours of operation. The security officer on duty locks exterior doors on campus buildings each evening. The officer also notes maintenance concerns regarding locks and other security hardware and reports them as soon as possible.

Residence hall access is controlled by key, combination, and/or electronic card. Each residence hall room has a separate lock with keys issued only to the room's current resident(s).

The Public Safety Office also provides an escort service upon request. This service is limited to campus, local medical facilities or pharmacy and is available 24 hours per day.

Additional services provided by public safety are motor vehicle assistance, lost and found and crime prevention programs.

Proper exterior lighting is an important part of the university's commitment to campus security and safety. Parking lots, walkways and building exteriors are well lit and are checked regularly by the security officers.

Shrubbery, trees and other vegetation on campus are trimmed on a regular basis. Public safety officers routinely check the campus for security and safety concerns. Any problem found is reported to the proper department(s).

The university respects and enforces the laws of the State of North Carolina and has additional rules and guidelines pertaining to drug and alcohol sale and use. Illegal drug use will likely lead to suspension or expulsion.

Violations of alcohol policies are confronted through a graduated set of responses and sanctions, which are designed to assist the student in addressing problems and inappropriate behaviors.

Emergency telephones are located in the vicinity of the main entrance to all residence halls. There is also an emergency phone at the entrance to 7th Avenue parking lot and in the football stadium parking lot.

All emergency telephones will give the caller direct access to the public safety officer on duty and will permit the caller to dial 911.

According to North Carolina General Statute 14-286, it shall be unlawful for any person or persons to wantonly and willfully give or cause to be given, or to advise, counsel, or aid and abet anyone in giving, a false alarm of fire, or to break the glass key protector, or to pull the slide arm, or lever of any station or signal box of any fire alarm system except in case of fire, or willfully misuse or damage a portable fire extinguisher or in any way willfully interfere with, damage, deface, molest or injure any part or portion of any fire-alarm, fire-detection, smoke-detection or fire-extinguishing system.

Any person violating any of these provisions of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by a fine not exceeding $500 and/or imprisonment for not more than six months. Students will also be subject to action by college officials.

Lenoir-Rhyne University recognizes that the campus community needs to be advised of situations that may occur that pose a serious and/or ongoing threat to students or employees.

In the event of such a situation, the campus community will be notified by voicemail, email, campus mail and/or fliers posted and distributed throughout the campus.

The university reserves the right to issue a "No Trespassing" order to any person whose presence is deemed unsuitable.

Subsequent trespassing on the university grounds will result in civil action.

Lenoir-Rhyne University sponsors prevention, intervention and education programs specifically addressing all forms of sexual misconduct, including sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, stalking, sexual exploitation, and sexual harassment. The college recognizes the importance of assisting students who are victims of sexual misconduct and helping them to regain a sense of personal control over their lives and the decisions they make.

For more information regarding Lenoir-Rhyne's policies, procedures and programming for sexual misconduct in response to Title IX and Campus SAVE, visit the Title IX website.

If you are sexually assaulted, you should do the following:

• Go to a safe place.
• Do not shower or bathe.
• Do not urinate, if possible.
• Do not eat, drink, smoke or brush your teeth if oral contact took place.
• Do not destroy or wash the clothes you were wearing. If you change, place your clothes in a paper bag.
• Contact your resident director, director of residence life, dean of students, Title IX coordinator, public safety officer and/or Hickory Police Department.
• Seek medical treatment.

Victims of sexual assault are encouraged to file a report with the public safety office and the Hickory Police Department. The filing of a report does not obligate the victim to pursue charges if he/she does not want to pursue them, but does make filing of charges easier if the victim changes his/her mind at a later date. Following the above suggestions will ensure the preservation of evidence.

Options available to sexual assault victims are the university system, criminal prosecution and civil suits. Lenoir-Rhyne University will assist the victim in pursuing whichever option(s) the victim chooses. The university system and the criminal courts are independent systems; charges may be filed in either or both systems.

If you are assaulted and do not want to pursue action with the university or the criminal justice system, you may want to consider making an anonymous report. With your permission, counseling services can file a report on the details of the incident without revealing your identity.

The purpose of an anonymous report is to comply with your wish to keep the matter confidential while taking steps to ensure the future safety of yourself and others. With such information, the university can keep accurate records about the number of incidents involving students; determine where there is a pattern of assaults with regard to a particular location, method, or assailant; and alert the campus community to potential danger.

Resources for Victims of Sexual Assault

• Title IX Coordinator - 828.328.7040
• Dean of Student Life - 828.328.7246
• Office of Counseling Services - 828.328.7252
• Student Health Center - 828.328.7181
• University Public Safety - 828.328.7146 (24 hours)
• Family Guidance Center - 929.322.1400
• Crisis Line - 828.228.1787
• Campus Pastor - 828.328.7248
• Hickory Police Department - 828.328.5551 or 911

If you are the victim of a sexual misconduct, the dean of students and Title IX coordinator can assist you with any academic or living situations if changes are requested and are reasonably available.

North Carolina law explicitly forbids possession of certain weapons on any property owned, used or operated by an educational institution.

General Statue 14-269.2 lists the following as illegal weapons: any gun, rifle, dynamite, cartridge, bomb, grenade, mine, powerful explosive, Bowie knife, blackjack, metallic knuckles, or any other weapons of like kind. (Fishing and hunting knives and any other knives not classified as pocketknives or penknives are included.)

Persons found responsible for possession of the above, will be turned over to a criminal court. University officials may take additional action.

Federal Law requires universities to provide access to research the possibility of known registered sex offenders in the area.