A summary of emergency procedures is posted on the back of each resident’s room or entry door. Contact your Residence Hall Coordinator if yours is missing, covered or damaged. Residents are expected to comply with directives from hall and University staff and emergency personnel. Staff and officials must follow procedures and may need to make critical decisions in emergencies. If residents or guests hinder staff or emergency personnel in emergency situations or drills (either by direct, indirect or no action), appropriate action will be taken by staff or emergency personnel.

If you would like to share information with Housing about how staff could best support you in an emergency, please contact your Residence Hall Coordinator.

Residents are encouraged to register for MU Alert, the University mass notification system. This opt-in service allows for notification through multiple means, including cell phone, email address, text message, alphanumeric pager and numeric pager. This site offers numerous resources for emergency preparedness. The MU Alert site will be updated as information becomes available.

While Housing staff makes reasonable attempts to notify and direct residents in emergencies, we cannot guarantee staff members will be in the hall or available in every emergency situation. Residents are responsible for knowing and following posted guidelines for emergency procedures, regardless of staff presence. Residents should participate in practice drills.

Contact your Residence Hall Coordinator if you have any questions.

For more information on campus emergencies, visit mualert.missouri.edu.

Mizzou on Rollins – Emergency procedures are posted in frames in each room.

U Centre – Emergency procedures are posted near elevators.

In the event of a campus emergency, remain calm, and follow the instructions of University and emergency personnel. Contact the nearest MU staff member for information or assistance. Evacuate buildings immediately if requested by authorities, upon hearing an extended fire alarm or when you sense remaining inside may be dangerous.

In emergencies, do not use the MU telephone system except to report the emergency situation. Use your cell phone for texting family and friends to let them know where you are when possible, as the University phone service may be down.

Do not use elevators.

Do not risk your life or the lives of others by re-entering a building to save personal or University property.

Do not cross police barriers without permission from University or emergency personnel.

Do not exceed your training or knowledge in attempting to provide first aid.

Get underneath a sturdy desk or table, kneel and protect your eyes by pressing your arm against your face. If there is no desk or table nearby, sit on the floor against an interior wall away from windows, bookcases or tall furniture that could fall on you.

When the earthquake is over, go to your hall’s designated exterior assembly area.

In the event of a campus shooter or armed intruder, follow “Run Hide Fight” steps.

Protective Actions: If you see the individual, move quickly away from them, and call 9-1-1 to give a description and location to police.

RUN: If you hear shots being fired and you can evacuate the area, DO SO QUICKLY. Inform others to do so.

HIDE: If you cannot evacuate, hide by concealing yourself in an office or room. Lock the doors, and barricade yourself in. Turn off the lights. Silence cell phones and other electronic devices. Wait for authorities to declare the scene safe.

FIGHT: If an armed intruder enters your room, attack them with anything you can find. Throw objects at the face. Attack with total commitment and with maximum violence.

When police arrive, do exactly what they say. Always show your hands, and DO NOT brandish any weapons. Tell them what you know about the intruder, victims and locations.

MU Alert will be updated as information becomes available.

When a fire alarm sounds, immediately vacate the building, and go to your hall’s designated evacuation location.

Never use the elevators – always take the stairs.

Residents who fail to vacate the building when an alarm sounds endanger the safety of themselves and others and will face conduct action.

As an institution covered by the Clery Act, the University must send timely warnings – crime notifications on Clery Act crimes occurring in its Clery geography that are reported to MUPD, Campus Security Authorities or local police agencies and considered by the University to represent a serious or continuing threat to students and employees. The Timely Warning – Crime Notification requirement applies to all Clery Act crimes, and all require a case-by-case assessment as to whether the report presents a serious or continuing threat to the campus community.

If a tornado warning is issued by the National Weather Service and an MU Alert is issued indicating it applies to the MU campus, Housing will implement tornado procedures. If they are available and if it is safe to do so, staff may attempt to notify residents of the warning.

Take cover, and stay away from windows. Go to the basement, hallway, lower floors or a restroom without windows, and wait for further instruction from staff.

Residents may return to other areas of the hall and resume regular activity after the warning expires. Expirations will be announced by staff or by media.

Assault (including any physical or sexual act that is unsolicited or unwelcome) or abuse of another person is strictly prohibited. Examples of endangering behaviors include, but are not limited to, self-harm, physical altercations, throwing items from windows or balconies and wrestling or rough-housing in the halls. Engaging in this type of behavior could result in termination of the Housing contract and permanent removal and prohibition from all Housing-owned or -operated facilities.

If you think you may be a victim of assault or abuse, please contact a professional staff member for assistance. Also, see Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment; Relationship Violence; Physical Assault, Harassment; and Title IX (Sex Discrimination Law).

For more information, visit the Office of Institutional Equity site.

Dating violence means violence committed by a person — (A) who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic or intimate nature with the victim; and (B) where the existence of such a relationship shall be determined based on a consideration of the following factors: (i) The length of the relationship, (ii) The type of relationship and (iii) The frequency of interaction between the persons involved in the relationship.

Domestic violence includes felony or misdemeanor crimes of violence committed by a current or former spouse or intimate partner of the victim, by a person with whom the victim shares a child in common, by a person who is cohabitating with or has cohabitated with the victim as a spouse or intimate partner, by a person similarly situated to a spouse of the victim under the domestic or family violence laws of Missouri or by any other person against an adult or youth victim who is protected from that person’s acts under the domestic or family violence laws of Missouri.

For more information or to report domestic abuse, contact a Housing staff member, the RSVP (Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention) Center (573-882-6638), the Office of Institutional Equity/Title IX Coordinator (573-882-3880), True North hotline (573-875-1370 or 1-800-548-2480), MUPD (573-882-7201), Columbia Police Department’s DOVE (Domestic Violence Enforcement) Unit (573-874-7423), or the Counseling Center (573-882-6601). You can also contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (1-800-799-7233).

Violence committed by a person who is or has been in a social relationship of a romantic nature with the victim is prohibited by University policy. Staff at the RSVP Center or the Office of Institutional Equity can inform you of your rights, connect you with resources and provide assistance and accommodations. The RSVP Center is a confidential resource.

For more information, see Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment; Assault, Abuse or Endangering Behaviors; Physical Assault; Harassment; and Title IX (Sex Discrimination Law).

Although the University will make reasonable efforts to respect the privacy of a student’s room/suite, Housing reserves the right to enter a student’s room/suite, with prior notice if possible, for purposes of inspection, verification of occupancy, improvements or repair.

The University reserves the right of entry without notice in situations posing a threat to life or property, violation of policy and for such purposes as are reasonably necessary to preserve campus order and discipline.

Illegal items in plain view may be confiscated at any time and conduct action may follow.

The illegal or unauthorized possession or use of firearms, explosives, other weapons or hazardous chemicals is prohibited. Possession or use of any of these items, including, but not limited to, lighter fluid, explosives or fireworks, could result in termination of the Housing contract and removal and prohibition from all Housing-owned or -operated buildings. These items will be confiscated.

Tampering with or theft of fire or life safety equipment – including, but not limited to, tampering with or discharging fire extinguishers; disabling bells/horns; activating a fire alarm when no emergency exists; covering or removing the batteries from individual smoke detectors; removing the smoke detector apparatus; tampering with, removing or destroying emergency exit signs; tampering with Automatic External Defibrillator (AED) equipment; or tampering with, hanging objects from or decorating sprinkler heads in rooms of halls that are thus equipped – will result in severe conduct action and damage charges. Possession or unauthorized use of any of these items could result in termination of the Housing contract and removal and prohibition from all Housing-owned or -operated buildings.

AEDs are located near the hall desks or main entries of each residence hall; however, Center and North (main lobby near the hall desk) share an AED, as do Gillett and Hudson (Rollins lobby near hall desk). There are also AEDs in lower Bingham and the Housing main office.

U Centre – U Centre smoke detectors are also carbon monoxide detectors. There is no AED machine at U Centre.

Harassment by engaging in a course of conduct directed at a specific person that serves no legitimate purpose that would cause a reasonable person under the circumstanc­es to be frightened, intimidated or emotion­ally distressed is not tolerated and will result in severe conduct action, including potential removal from the residence hall. Forms of ha­rassment include, but are not limited to, social media/cyber or verbal harassment, threatening mes­sages, physical threats, intimidation or posting of harassing materials.

If you have been the victim of harassment or feel threatened, contact a student staff member, your Residence Hall coordinator, the Office of Institutional Equity or MUPD.

For more information, see Assault, Abuse or Endangering Behaviors.

In the event of a personal, medical or psy­chological emergency, contact the hall desk or the student staff member on-call by call­ing them at the phone number listed on hall on-call boards. If immediate assistance is re­quired, call 9-1-1 or MUPD at (573) 882-7201.

The Counseling Center offers Crisis/On-Call services by phone or in person from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, as well as immediate phone contact with a counselor at all other times by calling the Counseling Center at (573) 882-6601.

The Student Health Center and the Counseling Center offer counseling and other programs during regular business hours. For more infor­mation, contact the Student Health Center at (573) 882-7481 or the Counseling Center at (573) 882-6601.

Housing staff will perform Health and Safety Checks throughout the academic year with prior notice, if possible, to verify occupancy and make safety inspections. Two staff members will enter the room/suite (staff will key in if no residents are home) and check for any health or safety violations or hazards in plain view.

Residence Hall Coordinators will notify residents found to be in violation of a residence hall policy or local, state or federal law. Students are expected to comply with RHC requests to resolve noted concerns within a certain time period, often within one week. Failure to correct concerns may result in conduct charges.

The University of Missouri requires all new students to comply with immunization requirements. Students living in University housing are required to provide proof of prior immunizations to the Student Health Center, receive the immunization or submit a signed waiver to the Student Health Center.

Review all requirements.

If Housing staff have sufficient cause to believe a student is missing, staff will notify MUPD and a designated contact as described:

• If the student is under the age of 18, the custodial parent and/or legal guardian listed in myZou will be contacted.
• If the student is 18 years or older, staff will check myZou to see if the student designated a contact in case the student is missing.
• If no contact is listed, the designated emergency contact will be contacted.
• If the student has not submitted emergency contact information, the parent or legal guardian of record in myZou will be contacted.

Physical assault against anyone is not tolerated. If you are a victim or witness of an assault, contact a student staff member, your Residence Hall Coordinator or MUPD (573-882-7201) immediately.

Engaging in nonconsensual sexual intercourse, sexual touching or sexual acts is prohibited by University policies and may violate local, state or federal law. Sexual harassment is also prohibited. Students who violate these policies are subject to sanctions.

If you are impacted by unwelcome sexual behavior, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, sexual assault or rape, you may choose to contact the RSVP (Relationship and Sexual Violence Pre­vention) Center (573-882-6638), the Office of Institutional Equity/Title IX Coordinator (573-882-3880), a Housing staff member, True North – a local shelter for victims of domestic vio­lence and sexual assault and 24-hour crisis hotline (573-875-1370), the Student Health Center (573-882-7481), the Counseling Center (573-882-6601) or the Of­fice of Student Accountability & Support (573-882-5543). You may also contact MUPD (573-882-7201).

If you are impacted by predatory drugs, rape, sexual assault or sexual misconduct, you may wish to go to the hospital for medical care. If you would like to press charges now or in the future, it is helpful to have a medical exam as soon as possible after the incident, but it is not required. If possible, do not show­er or change clothes before the exam. The University Hospital Emergency Department has specially trained Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANE) who conduct exams. SANE nurses have special training helping survivors of violence. The exam occurs in a private room away from the emergency department. For more information, contact the SANE Clinic (573-882-8091) or visit wellbeing.missouri.edu/medical-care-services/sexual-partner-violence/.

The RSVP Center (573-882-6638) can explain the resources available and help you explore your options. The RSVP Center is a confidential resource.

If you inform Housing staff about a potential instance of sexual misconduct, this information will be shared with the Office of Institutional Equity/Title IX Coordinator. The impacted student will be contacted by staff from the Office of Institutional Equity, who can help the impacted student explore their options, connect the student with resources, provide assistance and accommodations, explain their rights and help the impacted student decide whether they want to file a formal complaint of discrimination. You do not need to file a formal complaint in order to access resources or receive accommodations. For more information, visit the Office of Institutional Equity.

Information shared with Housing staff about an individual or situation will only be discussed with other University officials on a need-to-know basis.

For more information, see Relationship Violence ; Assault, Abuse or Endangering Behaviors; Physical Assault ; Harassment ; and Title IX (Sex Discrimination Law).

Residents are prohibited from unauthorized access or entry to or use of restricted areas in Housing-owned or –operated facilities at all times for safety reasons. These areas include, but are not limited to, roofs; exterior walls; balcony exteriors; staff patios; custodial, construction or maintenance workspaces; and telecommunications, computer or data processing equipment, programs, systems or software.

Other areas, such as fire escapes or emergency doors, can only be used in an emergency.

Unapproved presence in restricted areas could result in termination of the Housing contract and prohibition from all Housing-owned or -operated facilities.

Residents are permitted in student rooms and common areas in the building (lobbies, lounges, study lounges, kitchens, laundry rooms and computer labs).

Please contact your Residence Hall Coordinator if you have any questions about whether a particular space is available to residents.

U Centre – Residents must avoid construction areas. Follow directions stated on all warning signs and blockades. Some amenities (the pool, clubhouse or other common areas) may be unavailable for use during construction/renovation.

Restrooms are available in all halls. Single-user non-gendered restrooms are available in most residence halls and/or complexes.

Community restroom doors should remain locked.

Attempted or actual theft, damage to or possession without permission of University property or that of any individual is strictly prohibited.

If you are a victim of or witness to theft, contact MUPD (573-882-7201), the hall desk, your student staff member and your Residence Hall Coordinator. File a report with MUPD as soon as possible.

Although Housing does not assume responsibility for personal items, immediate and accurate reports of sto­len items may allow items to be recovered.

Each student is encouraged to obtain person­al property or renter’s insurance. Students may also be covered under their family’s homeown­ers’ insurance. The University does not purchase prop­erty insurance covering any loss of or damage to a student’s personal property. The Universi­ty assumes no responsibility for the payment of such a loss.

Prevent theft by locking doors and windows at all times, not propping doors open and reporting suspicious behavior to staff or police. Do not leave personal items unat­tended in common areas.

Housing recommends regis­tering bicycles and laptops with the Universi­ty Police. It is important that students keep re­cords of details (make, model, serial number, etc.) of personal belongings to assist in cases of theft.

For more information, see Bicycles, Scooters, Mopeds and Motorcycles and Doors and Security.

Title IX is a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The Office of Institutional Equity at MU helps ensure everyone has access to educational programs, regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy or sexual orientation. The Office of Institutional Equity educates the community, connects students with resources, provides accommodations and investigates reports of discrimination.

Prohibited sex discrimination includes unequal treatment, sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence, sexual harassment and stalking. Students who have experienced any form of sex discrimination may file a formal complaint with the Office of Institutional Equity. Students who violate University policies prohibiting sex discrimination are subject to sanctions under the University’s Equity Resolution Process.

For more information, see Rape, Sexual Assault, Sexual Misconduct and Sexual Harassment; Relationship Violence; and Assault, Abuse or Endangering Behaviors.

Use or possession of weapons of any type – including, but not limited to, firearms; paintball guns; airsoft, BB or pellet guns or similar weapons; bows and arrows; knives with blades more than four inches long; decorative weapons; ammunition; Mace and bear spray; and explosive – is not permitted in Housing-owned or -operated facilities at any time.

Other restrict­ed weapons include billy clubs/nightsticks, switchblades, brass knuckles, nunchucks and dangerous chemicals. However, possession of a personal self-defense item 2 ounces or less containing pepper spray (oleoresin capsicum – OC) is allowed. Be sure to read the directions and know how to properly use the pepper spray.

Firearms are not permitted in Housing-owned or -operated facilities. MUPD offers a variety of information and options for personal safety and security, as well as storage for weapons, including those used for hunting.

Any object that could potentially inflict in­jury or cause harm that is used in a threat­ening, careless or aggressive manner will be considered a weapon, regardless of intent. Possession of any of these items could result in termination of the Housing contract and permanent removal and prohibi­tion from all Housing-owned or -oper­ated facilities.

Nerf™-type guns and water guns may be stored but not used in the residence halls, pro­vided they are designed or clearly marked (e.g., fluorescent markings) so as not to be mistaken for a firearm.