Friends,

Safety is a priority at Guilford College, where we strive to care for one another every day. Ours is a beautiful and welcoming campus in northwest Greensboro, not only for our students, faculty and staff but also a wide range of visitors from the outside community.

The importance of campus safety was underscored Monday with the tragic shooting at UNC Chapel Hill of Zijie Yan, scientist and associate professor in the Department of Applied Physical Sciences. The incident that resulted in Yan’s death forced a three-hour lockdown on campus as the shooter was apprehended.

Our students, faculty and staff have friends on the Chapel Hill campus, and we have former undergraduates and Early College students studying there. I encourage all of us to hold members of Yan’s family and colleagues and friends at Carolina in the Light as they grieve his loss and respond to this tragedy.

I also encourage you to be aware of protocols for safety at Guilford, established by our Public Safety Office and Division of Student Affairs and outlined on the Public Safety web page. On that page are 10 tips for general campus safety, not only for students but for all of us:

• Know your surroundings and trust your instincts. Report anyone and anything that looks suspicious. (See Something, Say Something)
• Keep 336-316-2909, the phone number for Public Safety, in your mobile phone for emergencies. 
• Know where the blue emergency lights are on campus.
• Lock your door. Don’t loan your key to friends.
• Do not accept drinks (alcoholic or non-alcoholic) from others. 
• When you leave campus, let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to be back.
• You don't have to walk alone at night on campus. P-Safe will pick you up and make sure you arrive to your campus destination safely.
• Do not prop open doors.
• Do not allow strangers into residence spaces.
• Use caution when posting information on social networking sites.

The Guilford Guard app, which can be downloaded for free from the Apple or Android app store, is an excellent resource with a “Friend Walk” tracker you can provide to someone as you walk to your campus destination. The app also provides a direct connection to Public Safety and local law enforcement.

In the event of an emergency, Public Safety utilizes a texting and email notification system that sends alerts to students, faculty and staff and others who opt in to the service.

Our Emergency Operations Plan outlines the College’s approach to all-hazard emergency operations. It represents a series of best-practice guidelines and general guidance for emergency management activities and an overview of the college’s methods of prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Instructions for response to an active shooter or armed intruder situation are on pp. 62-65.

During the academic year we will have conversations, drills and table-top exercises to be as prepared as possible in the event of emergency situations. Please participate in these activities when they are available.

In the meantime, be alert and look out for one another. We want Guilford to continue to be a safe environment for living and learning.

Warmly,

Kyle Farmbry
President