Bryan College of Health Sciences is a college community of approximately 700 students and approximately 75 regularly employed faculty and staff, located in Lincoln and Hastings, Nebraska. The population of Hastings is approximately 25,000. Bryan College of Health Sciences, Hastings location is located on the Mary Lanning Hospital Campus. As part of this larger community the College shares many of the same interests and problems, including concerns about crime. Bryan College of Health Sciences fortunately has not experienced significant numbers of crimes on any of its locations.
The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act (Clery Act) is a federal law which requires colleges and universities to publish an annual security and campus safety report containing campus security and safety policies and procedures, as well as crime statistics.
The Clery Act was enacted in 1990, and amended in 1992, 1998, 2000, and 2008. In 2013, the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA) amended the Clery Act to require institutions to compile statistics for incidents of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking and to include certain policies, procedures, and programs pertaining to these incidents in their annual security and safety reports. All statistics in this Annual Security and Campus Safety Report are presented and updated in compliance with all amendments to the act, under the supervision of the Dean of Students in collaboration with Student Services, Bryan Medical Center Safety Officer and Bryan Medical Center Security.
Bryan College is concerned about the safety and welfare of the entire Bryan College community and its guests. The College has developed a number of procedures, policies, and programs to help promote a safe and secure learning and working environment.
Campus Security at Mary Lanning Hospital
Campus safety is every individual’s concern and responsibility. The success of the security staff is largely measured by the degree of support and cooperation it receives from the people it serves. All members of the campus community are expected to support the efforts of the Security Officers in developing and maintaining a safe and secure learning environment. Security is managed by the Security Department at Mary Lanning. If at any time an employee or a student believes that appropriate security procedures are not being followed, or that Bryan College of Health Sciences environment is not safe, please call extension 5160 from a hospital phone or 402-984-4950 from an off campus phone to speak to the Director of Security.
Mary Lanning security is available to escort individuals to/from the hospital or college or to/from their vehicles when requested. Assistance also will be provided to jump start vehicles and inflate tires.
Safety Tips
The following safety tips are provided to help reduce the potential for crime:
- Always keep your car, house, apartment, or room locked. Keeping doors open for even short periods of time could affect your personal safety or result in theft or vandalism of your belongings.
- Keep valuables out of sight. If in your house/room, lock them in a safe place. If in car, lock them in your trunk.
- Do not leave purses, books, or backpacks unattended in classrooms, lounges, or in the library. Lockers are available at the College for student use.
- Do not walk, run, or jog alone. This is especially important at night and early in the morning when it is dark and there are few people around.
- Use sidewalks whenever possible and stay in well-traveled and well lighted areas.
- Walk with a purpose. This will show you are confident and are not likely to be an easy victim.
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Let someone know where you are and when you plan to return. If you are missed, someone can look for you.
Security Department’s Authority and Working Relationship with Law Enforcement Agencies
Mary Lanning Security Officers have been authorized by the College to help ensure safety, carry out security duties and assist with enforcing rules and regulations on the campus of the hospital and college. All persons leaving or entering the premises may be checked. Any person on Mary Lanning property may be required to show identification to a security officer or hospital/college personnel. All problems or incidents involving Bryan College of Health students, will be forwarded to the College’s administration for review and action.
Mary Lanning Security officers do not have law enforcement authority (i.e. powers of arrest), and rely upon local law enforcement agencies when the need arises. The Hastings police will be summoned to the campus should circumstances warrant the arrest of the offender. Mary Lanning Security maintains a positive professional relationship with the Hastings Police Department, as well as with state and federal agencies in matters concerning their specific jurisdiction. Although a written memorandum of understanding does not exist, local police will respond to calls for service to the campus community to investigate alleged criminal offenses. The College does not have officially recognized student organizations with off-campus address locations. The Hastings Police Department and Hospital Security openly exchange information concerning security and crime related matters and continue to maintain a pro-active stance with respect to the welfare of Mary Lanning Hospital/Bryan College of Health Sciences and the Hastings community.
Reporting and Institutional Response to Criminal Reports
To achieve a safe and secure campus environment, all members of the campus community are encouraged to immediately report any suspicious or criminal activity observed. To report such activity, call the security department at 5160. Upon receipt of a call, the Security Officer will gather preliminary information from the caller and when appropriate, report to the location of the occurrence. The responding officer will investigate the complaint or concern and complete an occurrence report if appropriate. Reported violations of state or federal laws, Hospital or College policy, or suspicious activity are documented in reports maintained by Mary Lanning Security. Based on the nature of the incident, Mary Lanning Security Officers will instigate the appropriate response according to Hospital/College policy. If appropriate, the Hastings Police Department will be called in to assist or resolve the incident. You may also report any act of violence or intimidation to the College’s Title IX Coordinator or the Title IX Deputy Coordinator.
Criminal incidents involving students and/or employees may also be addressed by the College Administration through College disciplinary proceedings. The College administration may impose sanctions up to and including expulsion for students and/or termination for employees.
All members of the Hospital/Bryan College of Health Sciences community are encouraged to promptly report all crimes to campus security and appropriate police agencies, when the victim of a crime elects to, or is unable to, make such a report. There is currently no institutional policy or procedure for victims or witnesses to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual security report. All members of the Hospital/Bryan College of Health Sciences community are encouraged to program into their mobile phone and/or memorize the following numbers to report criminal behavior and emergencies:
| Inside Campus | Outside Campus | |
|---|---|---|
|
Mary Lanning Security |
5160 |
402-984-4950 |
|
Hastings Police, Fire and Rescue |
9-911 |
911 |
|
Non- Emergency |
0 |
402-461-2380 |
Campus Security Authorities
The definition of Campus Security Authorities under the Clery Act includes: - (1) A campus law enforcement unit; (2) An individual or organization specified in an institution's statement of campus security policy as an individual or organization to whom students and employees should report criminal offenses; and (3) An official of an institution who has significant responsibility for student and campus activities but does not have significant counseling responsibilities.
The following departments and individuals have been designated as campus security authorities to whom students and employees should report crimes:
| Mary Lanning Operator | Dial 0 or 402-984-4950 |
| Bryan Medical Center Security Department | 402-984-5950 |
|
*College President |
402-481-8781 |
|
*Provost |
402-481-8602 |
|
*Dean of Operations |
402-481-83967 |
|
*Dean of Students/Title IX Coordinator |
402-481-3804 |
| Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Nursing - Hastings | 402-460-5820 |
|
Title IX Deputy Coordinator |
402-481-3812 |
|
Student Services Director |
402-481-8692 |
|
*Executive Committee Member |
|
Timely Warnings
The Executive Committee of the College in conjunction with Mary Lanning Security using their professional judgment will issue a timely warning for any serious incident when it represents a serious or continuing threat to students and employees and enough information is known about the crime to determine what information to release. The primary method of warnings will be through the College email system. The College may also issue timely warnings through posting of flyers around campus, in-class announcements, emergency text message system, public address system, or other appropriate means.
Warnings will generally include the nature of the threat, source of the information, and suggested precautions to be taken. The College would not immediately issue a notification for a serious incident if doing so will compromise efforts to assist a victim, contain the emergency, respond to the emergency or otherwise mitigate the emergency. An example of not compromising efforts to mitigate the emergency might be agreeing to a request of local law enforcement. Whether or not to issue a timely warning will be decided on a case by case basis in light of all the factors surrounding a crime, including factors such as the nature of the crime, the continuing danger to the campus community, and the possible risk of compromising law enforcement efforts.
Emergency Notifications
In the event of an emergency or dangerous situation involving an imminent threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus, the Executive Committee of the College will confirm that there is a significant emergency or dangerous situation. It has sole responsibility for this determination. The Executive Committee will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system unless issuing a notification will, in their professional judgment, compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond, to or otherwise mitigate the emergency. The Executive Committee will determine the appropriate segment or segments of the campus community to receive a notification; determine the content of the notification; and utilize the College’s mass notification (text messaging and/or public address) systems to notify the campus community. If necessary, the Executive Committee will disseminate information about an on-campus emergency situation to the larger community by contacting local first responder authorities. Students, faculty, and staff can register to receive real-time notifications of these emergency events in the Office of the Registrar. This notification system will also be used in the event that an evacuation is required. The text messaging system is tested campus wide at least once each year.
Emergency Preparedness
The College’s Safety Committee coordinates the emergency and safety procedures on campus. The committee includes faculty, staff, students, and the Medical Center Security. This Committee develops and practices emergency preparedness plans, including disaster response and evacuation. Bryan College of Health Sciences Student Handbook contains information on Weather Alert, Fire Emergency, Bomb Threat, Active Shooter, and Violent Intruder. Those policies are also included below.
The College’s emergency response and evacuation procedures are tested on at least an annual basis. Tests may be announced or unannounced. The tests are scheduled, contain drills, contain exercises, contain follow through activities, and are designed for assessment and evaluation of emergency plans and capabilities.
The College publicizes its emergency response and evacuation procedures in conjunction with at least one test per calendar year. Each test is documented, including a description of the exercise, the date, the time, and whether it was announced or unannounced. The documentation is kept for seven years.