Your Safety is Our Top Priority

Every effort is made to identify and prevent dangerous situations on campus. However, in the event of an emergency, several communication methods and services are available to enhance the safety of the campus.

• DU Alert delivers emergency messages via voice and text on cell phones and landline telephones
• An Outside Warning System will sound a tone and a voice message announcing the nature of an emergency
• Code Blue Telephones are located around campus for automatic connections to a Police Communications Operator
• Emergency Duress Alarms are located in several buildings on campus to connect with Public Safety
• An Escort Service is available on campus to ensure the safety of all Duquesne University community members as they travel to or from his or her car, Residence Hall, Academic Building or office.

The Duquesne University Department of Public Safety offers a variety of ongoing programs designed to educate and sensitize members of the community to crime prevention and safety issues, particularly the recognition and appraisal of a crime risk and the most effective protective measures. These are offered for Residence Hall groups, new student orientations, student interest groups and employee training programs.

The mission of the Crime Prevention Unit is to reduce the incidence of crimes against persons and property on the Duquesne University campus through public education. In an effort to promote community awareness, it is the desire of the Department of Public Safety to establish a working relationship with the Duquesne University community. We hope to accomplish this through making public education programs available to students, faculty and staff. The following programs are offered. Please find a description of each program in the Annual Security and Fire Safety Report. Any individual or group interested in attending or scheduling a program is invited to contact Lieutenant Michael Kiryk via email or by phone at (412) 396-4935

• Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention
• Workplace Violence
• Basic Active Shooter/Assailant Survival Skills
• Drug and Alcohol Abuse Awareness
• Rape Aggression Defense System (RAD)
• *Self-Defense Awareness and Familiarization Exchange Program (SAFE)
• First Aid/CPR/AED
• Child Safety Seat Inspection
• Relationship Violence
• Safe in the City
• Stop the Bleed

In the event of an emergency, Duquesne University will, without delay, and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the notification and initiate the notification system, unless the notification will, in the professional judgment of the responsible authorities, compromise efforts to assist victims or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

Duquesne University has multiple ways of communicating the existence of an emergency to the Duquesne community. The methods listed below may be used independently or collectively depending on the nature of the emergency event. The Office of Marketing and Communications and/or the Department of Public Safety have responsibility for implementation of the emergency communication methods.

• DU Alert
• Outside Warning System
• Mass e-mail, Blackboard, DU Daily, and website
• Local/Regional radio, television
• Public Address System built into siren control of each police vehicle
• "Bullhorn": handheld Public Address devices carried in police vehicles
• Ability to send broadcast voicemail over DUQ Landlines
• Ability to issue emergency message on Duquesne's (412) 396-1700 call-in phone line
• Ability to divert calls from main phone lines to a dedicated emergency line
• 10 line phone banks located in the Public Safety conference room and Administration Building, 4th floor conference room, which in an emergency, would be operated by Public Safety and Office of Marketing and Communications personnel.

Promoting Safety & Wellbeing

The Duquesne University Campus Community Risk Team (CCRT) is a multi-disciplinary team with members from Academic Affairs, Residence Life, Campus Police, Student Conduct, Campus Ministry, Center for Student Wellbeing, Human Resources, and Legal Affairs. It may include others as needed.

The CCRT is responsible for evaluating possible serious risks to the safety and well-being of the campus community and recommending countermeasures as appropriate.

When the team receives reports from members of the campus community that an individual poses, or may pose, a threat to the campus community, or any member of the campus community, it makes an individualized assessment to determine what, if any, action to take to remove and/or mitigate the risk, either for a limited time or indefinitely.

In accord with our University mission statement, everyone at Duquesne is expected to demonstrate profound concern for others. Hazing has no place in our community.

Our University demonstrates full support of the Timothy Piazza Anti-Hazing law in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and provides a twice-annual update of all reported hazing allegations.

Students should review our policy on hazing (pg 28) and amnesty policy (pg 12).

All students are encouraged to report any incidents of hazing to the Department of Public Safety or the Office of Student Conduct.

Timothy Piazza Anti-Hazing Law Mandated Reports

• January 2025
  
• August 2024
  
• January 2024
• August 2023
  
• January 2023
• August 2022
  
• January 2022
• August 2021
• January 2021
• August 2020
• January 2020

As a Catholic and Spiritan University, one of the ways Duquesne serves God by serving students is through profound concern for moral and spiritual values. To uphold these ideals, the University enforces the Code of Student Rights, Responsibilities and Conduct to promote responsible citizenship, appropriate behavior and self-discipline. Verbal, nonverbal or physical sexual misconduct of any kind will not be tolerated. It threatens this mission and is prohibited by local, state and federal laws,Title IX, Duquesne's Student Policy on Sexual Violence and by Duquesne's Sexual Misconduct and Gender Discrimination Policy.

Located in various locations across campus, Code Blue Telephones allow you to speak with Campus Police at the push of a button. Simultaneously, this activation will automatically activate a flashing blue light. Immediately after establishing the connection with the Campus Police, the phone will send a signal indicating to them the location of the activated station. Once the system is activated it allows you to have hands free communication directly with the Campus Police.

Code Blue Telephone locations:

• Bluff Street near Rooney Field
• College of Osteopathic Medicine Building Parking Lot
• Locust Circle near Gumberg Library
• Shingiss Street at Rockwell Hall
• Gibbon Street at Magee Street
• Locust Street at McAnulty Drive near Rangos School of Health Sciences
• Fisher Hall Sky Walk
• Power Center at Forbes Avenue
• Along Fifth Avenue corridor of campus from 718 to 1206 (four total)

Request a Safety Escort

Call Campus Police at (412) 396-6002 to request a safety escort. It is not necessary to call in advance, as escorts are on duty and ready to be dispatched as needed.

Purpose and Goal

The Public Safety Department provides a personal safety escort to all members of the Duquesne University Community.  The service is campus wide, to or from his or her car, Residence Hall, Academic Building, or office. The service is designed to enhance your safety and peace of mind if you must walk alone.  It is intended to be primarily a walking service with mobile escort provided when determined to be appropriate. The primary goal is to enable you to travel from one location to another with a greater sense of security.

Professional/Trained Escorts

Escorts will be provided by either a Campus Security Officer or a Campus Police Officer. All Security and Police Personnel carry radios, identification and will be in some type of designated Security or Police uniform. All Security and Police Personnel are trained in First Aid and CPR.

Duress Alarms are for any situation where you feel uncomfortable or threatened; or for any medical emergency. The University has installed over 300 duress alarms around campus. When activated, all of these alarms connect directly to Public Safety and will result in a response of the Campus Police within minutes. These alarms can be found in study rooms in the Gumberg Library, in locker rooms at the Power Center, and in various other strategic areas around campus.

Pull Station found in parking garages.                To activate, "push" lever which will allow you to then "pull" down the bottom lever.

Emergency Pull Station which can be found in the Gumberg Library, locker rooms and offices around campus.    To activate, grasp the lever and pull forward.