Welcome to the Cal Poly Residence Halls!  We hope this year will be a great one for you, and we're excited to have you here.  Living in the residence halls can be a great experience; learning about yourself, meeting new people, fun activities, studying...  We just wanted to take a few minutes to tell you about some of the things to make your experience here at Cal Poly even better.

The following web page addresses safety in the residence halls at Cal Poly.  Listed are safety tips, hall safety features, important phone numbers, upcoming programs, etc.  Everything Cal Poly University Housing can to do help ensure your safety.  However, all of the safety information in the world is useless unless you use it. 

Part of the college experience includes taking responsibility for yourself.  Going to class, getting enough sleep, managing your money wisely, and making smart choices about your safety.  The first step in making smart choices about safety is becoming informed.  How can you help ensure your safety?  Read on and find out some of the things you can do.  We will do everything we can to ensure a safe living environment, but we can't do it without your help.

Let's have a great, safe year!

Sincerely,
The Cal Poly University Housing Staff

• Get to know the people who live in your floor/tower/hall.  When you're familiar with the faces & names, you'll recognize someone who is out of place more quickly.
• When you do see someone you don't know, ask him or her what they're doing.  Questions such as, "Do you need any help?", "Who are you here to see", etc. will help keep everyone safe. Remember that the hall is your home, and you should never feel obligated to let someone you don't know into your home!
• Lock your door whenever you leave your room.  We all like to think everyone we live with is trustworthy.  Unfortunately, this isn't always true.  To protect yourself and your belongings, keep your door locked, even if you just go down the hall for a few minutes.
• Engrave expensive belongings with your name, or an driver's license number.  This will help police recover your items if they do get stolen.
• NEVER prop the doors open!  If a friend is coming over, arrange to meet him/her, or have your friend call you to come let them in.  Propped doors allow anyone access to the hall at night, and jeopardize everyone's safety.
• Walk with someone you know, whenever possible.  If you do choose to walk by yourself let someone know where you are going & when you expect to be back.
• Let your roommate/RA know when you plan to be gone from campus for awhile (i.e., a long weekend).  This is not to be nosey! But, when hall staff notices a student has been gone for a while, and nobody knows where he/she is, a missing persons report is filed.
• When you have a friend come for a visit, let other people on your floor know about it.  That way they won't think there is some strange person wandering around the hall.
• Know how to contact hall staff/Campus Safety in an emergency.  Keep these phone numbers posted near the telephone.
• Keep a list of people to contact in an emergency--if you're ever involved in an accident, etc.  This list could include your family, friends from home, friends at Cal Poly, medical information, etc.  Let your roommate know where this list is.
• Report any suspicious activity to hall staff or Campus Safety. 
• Inform hall staff of solicitors in the hall. People/groups/ companies are not allowed to sell items in the residence halls without prior authorization.
• Be assertive.  Stick up for yourself and your friends. 

• Coordinators of Student Development (CSD)--The CSD is a full time live-in professional staff member who is responsible for the overall operation of the hall.  The CSD responds to emergencies, has regular office hours within the building, and supervises the student staff (Resident Advisors).  CSDs help students with a variety of concerns; academic, personal, safety, roommate issues, etc.  There are 8 CSDs on campus, one in each hall. There are 2 CSDs on duty each night, starting at 5 PM.  So, there is always a CSD available (24 hours/day, 7 days/week) to respond to any crisis or emergency in the residence halls.
• Resident Advisors (RAs)--RAs are Cal Poly students who live in the residence halls and act as a resource for students.  RAs help students with a variety of issues, and help ensure the safety and security of the students living in the residence halls.  RAs are trained in emergency and crisis response.  RAs are also CPR & First Aid certified.  There are 2 RAs "on duty" each night in each hall to respond to student issues and concerns.  RAs complete rounds of the building several times a night, checking for any safety concerns.
• Residence Hall Entrances--All entrances to the residence halls are locked 24/7.  Students who live in the halls can enter the building by using their room keys.
• Front Desks--Each residence hall has a front desk which is open from 12 PM-10PM Sunday-Thursday, and 12PM-12AM Friday & Saturday.
• Custodial & Maintenance Staff--There are at least 2 custodial staff in each residence hall.  They not only work to ensure the hall is clean and properly maintained, but they also help keep the hall safe by addressing facility safety concerns.
• Student Room & Phone Numbers--These are NEVER given out by any hall staff (CSD, RA, desk staff).  If someone calls the front desk and asks for a student's phone number, the front desk will transfer the caller to the student's phone line, but the number will not be given out.
• Room Keys--Each student has a key to his/her room, which will also open his/her mailbox.  If a key is lost, a key-core change is done on the room, and a new key is issued to both room occupants.  There is a $20 charge for a lost key.
• Fire Alarms--Each room is equipped with a smoke detector and heat sensor.  Alarms go off whenever there is smoke or too much heat detected.