Union College Personal Safety Alert

To the Campus Community:

I am writing as a part of our continuing effort to inform the community of updates in the security situation at Union College. As you may know, a small number of troubling incidents in and around campus last year prompted us to provide enhanced security measures, including a permanent after-hours Campus Safety presence on the corridor between the main campus and College Park Hall, a second trolley for added student transport, and a more visible Security presence across campus.

The new initiatives included a commitment to provide security advisories to the campus community as issues come to our attention. New York State law permits law enforcement authorities to share certain information with citizens about registered sex offenders who reside in the community. Accordingly, I want to notify all that as of today's date four Level 3 Sex Offenders are residing in proximity (within two blocks) of the campus. Below please find a link to the New York State Level 3 Sex Offender Subdirectory. The website provides information about registered Level 3 sex offenders, including those who currently reside in the 12308 ZIP Code area, only four of whom are within two blocks of the campus.

http://www.criminaljustice.state.ny.us/nsor/search_index.htm

In issuing this alert, we are furnishing information that we believe will help the campus community become active participants in ensuring personal safety and security. While many colleges tend to avoid explicit security-related notices for fear of unduly alarming students, we feel strongly that an informed community is an essential part of a comprehensive safety and security program.

It should be noted that Schenectady does not have an especially large population of Level 3 sex offenders relative to other northeastern cities. As the following list indicates, cities that contain northeast colleges have substantial numbers of Level 3 offenders (The total number in Schenectady is 47). Nevertheless, we all need to be vigilant.

Worcester, MA 85
Allentown, PA 141
Troy, NY 55
Binghamton, NY 47
Syracuse, NY 127
Bethlehem, PA 55
Easton, PA 50
Lancaster, PA 120

As you know, Campus Safety regularly patrols the "College triangle" area as well as the Seward and Park Ave corridors. As you may not know, there are legal limits to what the College can and cannot do regarding the presence of offenders in proximity to the campus. For example, the College cannot do anything that would constitute harassment against a registered sex offender.

While the area surrounding Union's campus remains one of the safer parts of the city, we urge you to be aware of your surroundings, to walk or run in pairs, to use the College's Escort Service (which is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week by calling Campus Safety at 388-6386), to keep doors and windows locked, and to be especially cautious after dark. See "Personal Safety and You" at the website below.

This site will serve as the College's center for safety and security announcements, updates, alerts and other relevant information. If and when campus-wide safety notifications are appropriate, we will send an email alert with this link included. For those without access to electronic communications, hard copy notifications and voicemail communications will continue to be used.

http://www.union.edu/personalsafety

We suggest that you incorporate Campus Safety's telephone number (388-6911) into the speed dialer of your cell phone.

Thank you for your continued attention to the topic safety on campus.

Steve Leavitt
Dean of Students