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Campus Access and Security Campus Access and Security

Purpose

Emerson College is a welcoming and inclusive community. Its location, a vertical campus in the heart of a vibrant urban environment, calls for a campus access and security policy that balances ease of access with practical and common-sense procedures to help protect students, faculty, employees, and guests. This policy, the joint recommendation of a committee of Emerson faculty, staff, and students, is intended to expedite campus access for authorized individuals, to enhance the personal safety of all members of the Emerson community, and to protect the personal property of the College and of individual community members.

Policy

  • It is the policy of Emerson College that authorized community members and guests who comply with the parameters contained herein will have access to Emerson facilities. This policy defines those individuals eligible for building access privileges.
  • This policy describes how eligible individuals gain authorized building access privileges (usually by possessing a valid ID card or by being the Guest of a College Host).
  • This policy describes when building access privileges might be suspended or revoked.

Definitions

Guest – any individual, not a student, faculty, staff member or affiliate of Emerson College, who is hosted by a student, faculty member, or staff member.

Affiliate – non-employee, non-student member of the Emerson community that includes, but is not limited to: vendors, volunteers, retirees, alumni, summer scholars, Office of the Arts visiting Artists, and summer conference attendees.

Resident Student – any Emerson College student who has a current room assignment in one of the College residence halls.

Non-Resident Student – any enrolled Emerson student who does not reside in a College residence hall.
Host – any Emerson College faculty member, staff member, or student who requests that a Guest be granted access to College facilities.

Guest Registration Form – a form that faculty and staff may use to pre-register Guests. The Guest Registration Form is located on the Tap and Go webpage. Pre-registered Guests will pick up their Guest Badge at the security desk in the lobby of the building in which their Host is located.

Overnight Hours – defined as Monday through Sunday, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. During Overnight Hours only those with authorized Emerson College ID Cards can enter the main (street) entrances to Emerson buildings. Note: Not all ID cards give access to all buildings. An Emerson ID Card holder must have authorization to enter the building that she or he is attempting to access.

Acceptable Forms of Identification – defined as a valid photo Identification (ID) with the individual’s name on it. The following types of ID are generally deemed to be acceptable: Driver’s License, Passport, Military ID, ID card issued by another college with photo of student, Resident Alien Card.

Access Procedures

General

All community members and guests are expected to abide by Emerson College policies and procedures.

Each person entering the College should use his or her Emerson College ID card or Guest Badge to enter through the security desk. To ensure speed of entry and to avoid backlog, each person should have his or her ID card or Guest Badge ready to use before approaching the ID card reader located at each security desk.

The security of our buildings is a shared responsibility of all community members. Therefore, disabling or propping open of secured doors, community members’ improper use of their Emerson ID cards, allowing unauthorized persons into one of our buildings or the purposeful attempt to circumvent this policy are all acts in violation of this policy and subject to disciplinary action and revocation of building access privileges.

Faculty and Staff Guests

Faculty and staff are encouraged to pre-register their Guests before their arrival on campus to ensure a smooth process. You can pre-register a Guest by utilizing the following process:

  1. Log into the iVisitor Guest Registration application which will send you to the “My Visitor” page;
  2. Once on the “My Visitor” page, click on the “Add a Visitor” tab and fill in the Guest’s name, Host’s name, building and time/date of the future visit, and then click “Save”;
  3. The Guest’s name will appear on the computer located at the security desk in the lobby of the building and once the Guest is checked in and provided a Guest Badge, you will receive an email notification that your visitor has arrived and is on route to your location.

Guests visiting a faculty or staff member unannounced must, after presenting an Acceptable Form of Identification, call that individual from the security desk. The Host will then be required to either come to the security desk to sign the Guest in, or go onto the iVisitor Guest Registration application and register your Guest.

Students' Guests

Guests must be signed in by the Emerson College student who will be their Host while they are visiting. The Host must present his or her current Emerson ID Card when signing in their Guest, and the Guest must present an Acceptable Form of Identification and legibly sign the guest log at the security desk. The Host must accompany his or her Guest at all times while in campus facilities. Non-Resident Students can host a Guest in all facilities except Residence Halls. Resident Students can host a Guest in all facilities and in the Residence Hall in which they reside.

Special Circumstances

A current Emerson College ID or Guest Badge will be required for entry into College buildings. Persons without a current Emerson College ID or Guest Badge will not be admitted, with the exception of the following:

  • Faculty and students from other academic institutions authorized to use the Emerson College Iwasaki Library will be required to show their current photo ID from their school and sign in. If the faculty or student member’s school ID is not a photo ID, a supplemental Acceptable Form of Identification must be shown along with the school ID.
  • Any faculty or staff member may present their Emerson College ID and sign in any other faculty or staff member without the faculty or staff member being vouched for having to display any form of identification.
  • In those circumstances where a faculty member does not have any identification on their person, and there are no other faculty or staff members present to vouch for/ sign in that faculty member, the security officer on duty will verify said member’s identity by consulting the hardcopy faculty directory located at each security desk containing the name, title and photo of every faculty member of the college. After verifying that faculty member’s identity s/he will be permitted access.
  • Students from other academic institutions who are cross registered for classes at Emerson will be required to show their issued Emerson ID Card.
  • In those situations where tours involving large outside group (i.e. prospective students) are being conducted, the department overseeing these tours (i.e. Visitor Center) will be responsible for distributing, and accounting for, the Guest Badges that their department has been issued for this purpose.
  • Guests attending ticketed events at the Semel or Greene Theaters in the Tufte Building will only be required to present their ticket to be allowed access to these theaters.
  • Patrons attending Huret and Spector Gallery Exhibitions will be required to present an Acceptable Form of Identification and sign in the guest log.
  • Delivery persons and messengers will be required to present an Acceptable Form of Identification to access a building for the purposes of making a delivery. They will be required to fill out the ‘Emerson College Daily Access Log’ after which they will be allowed to complete their delivery. Delivery persons making bulk deliveries will utilize the loading docks located at Allen’s Alley or the rear of 150 Boylston Street or 555 Washington Street. Property Management staff will be responsible for ensuring the identity of those persons entering Emerson facilities via this method.

Revocation of Building Access Privileges

This Campus Access and Security Policy describes normal campus access policies and procedures. It is an unfortunate reality that, from time to time, the College may need to adjust its normal procedures to protect the College community and property. The following are representative (but not exhaustive) examples of when building access privileges may be altered or revoked:

  • In the case of an emergency requiring the evacuation or lockdown of one or more campus buildings.
  • In the case of legal process, such as a no-contact order issued by a Massachusetts District or Superior Court.
  • In the case where the Emerson College Police Department exercises its authority to issue a No-Trespass Order.
  • In the case where the Emerson College Police Department, the Human Resources Department, or Academic Affairs limits or revokes access privileges for a disciplined or terminated employee.
  • In the case where the Dean of Students limits or revokes access privileges in connection with the student discipline process.
  • In the case where the Emerson College Police Department or the College’s Emergency Management Team determines that it is in the College’s best interests to limit or revoke access privileges.