Safety in Academic Buildings
During academic semesters, academic buildings at the University are generally open for access by students, faculty, staff, and visitors at times designated by the administrator responsible for that building, Monday through Friday. Outside doors are locked at other times, although faculty and staff who work in a building may be given keys.
The Building Safety and Security Representative (BSSR) program is designed to facilitate emergency planning for the occupants of each building at the University. The program focuses on emergency planning at the building level since most emergencies such as fire, flood, tornado, or criminal activity affect the entire building.
Each BSSR leader will help create safety plans, monitor security issues, participate in emergency drills, and work to create a safe environment for the occupants of a specific building. More information on the BSSR program can be found at prepare.uga.edu/bssrs or by calling the Office of Emergency Preparedness at 706-542-5845.
During the annual February UGA Alert emergency messaging test to campus in conjunction with the statewide tornado drill, the Office of Emergency Preparedness asks community members to practice sheltering for severe weather in their facility.
During the annual September UGA Alert emergency messaging test to campus, the Office of Emergency Preparedness asks the campus to practice their building evacuation procedures.
Police officers patrol campus by car, by bicycle, and by foot for suspicious persons, suspicious or criminal activity, and safety and security hazards. Malfunctioning outside doors and locks are reported to the Facilities Management Division for immediate attention.
Safety in University Housing
Maintaining a safe living environment is one of the fundamental missions of University Housing. The UGA OneCard, along with a personal identification number, is required to enter the secure areas of residence halls. Each resident is issued a key to their individual room door, and in the event of a lost key, doors to resident rooms are rekeyed. Many building exterior doors are equipped with electronic alarms, and security is enhanced through the use of camera systems in many buildings.
After normal business hours and on weekends, student and professional staff members are on call to support student needs. Each of University Housing’s residential communities also has a 24-hour desk, where residents can get assistance. Finally, University Housing employs a team of trained uniformed security personnel who conduct continuous patrols of residential facilities throughout the night and assist in responding to emergency situations or identifying security concerns.
In addition to the above measures, it is essential that University Housing has the support and cooperation of all residents to maximize individual and community safety and security. Residents must remain diligent in complying with all of University Housing’s security policies, including not propping open doors or letting unauthorized persons enter the buildings. Residents should always lock their room doors and report suspicious persons or activities noted in or around their buildings to University police.
For more information, visit housing.uga.edu or call 706-542-1421.
Safety in Fraternities and Sororities
Eight fraternity and sorority houses are located directly on campus and are thus under the jurisdiction of UGA Police, who patrol regularly. The remaining sorority and fraternity houses are located off campus and are under the jurisdiction of the Athens-Clarke County Police.
Fraternities and sororities are managed by the house corporation for the individual chapters, each of which establishes its own security policies. The Greek Life Office, at 706-542-4612, can provide information about the house corporation for any given house: https://greeklife.uga.edu/.
Safety Off Campus
When a crime has been committed at an off-campus location of a recognized student organization, it should be reported to local law enforcement agencies. The UGA Police Department does not have jurisdiction beyond 500 yards off campus, but works with the local law enforcement agency, which will conduct the investigation to obtain information about any incident as soon as possible after it has occurred. Victims of criminal acts may obtain a copy of the police incident reportfrom the agency of jurisdiction. The Office of Student Conduct handles student violations of conduct regulations that occur off campus.
Safety and Security Online
We live our lives online. Internet use is such a large part of our daily routine that it’s easy to forget the risks involved. Increasingly, online scams target our UGA community, and victims falling prey to these scams could lose hundreds or thousands of dollars.
A common scam tactic involves criminals offering an opportunity that is “too good to be true.” Recent examples experienced by our community include emails offering high-paying jobs for very little work, emails suggesting recipients must take immediate action to access funds available from the University, social media posts offering UGA parking permits from a private party on platforms such as GroupMe, and phone calls promising to help avoid court sanctions or criminal arrest by paying a fee without going to court. Scammers will often contact people they don’t know via phone, email, or social media, offer them something they didn’t ask for, and demand payment quickly through difficult-to-track sources, such as gift cards.
In addition to these scams, direct deposit fraud and ransomware attacks are becoming more common. Ransomware is a type of malware that locks up files on your device, rendering them unusable until a ransom is paid. Direct deposit fraud happens when a cybercriminal hacks into a UGA account and changes the associated bank account information so that paychecks or student account refunds are sent to the criminal instead of the rightful owner.
In general, following the guidelines below will significantly decrease your chances of falling prey to similar scam attempts:
- ALWAYS exercise caution if an opportunity seems too good to be true—it quite likely is.
- ALWAYS be willing to ask for more information regarding a questionable offer.
- ALWAYS be cautious with email attachments and links. Do not open attachments or click on links from unknown or unexpected sources.
- ALWAYS use strong, unique passwords and UGA’s multi-factor authentication (MFA), ArchPass. Please ensure that any pushes or approvals through ArchPass were originated by you. Likewise, never enter an ArchPass code along with your username (MyID) and password after clicking a suspicious link. If you would like to update your MyID password, visit https://uga.teamdynamix.com/TDClient/3190/eitsclientportal/KB/Article/154661/MyID
- ALWAYS verify the legitimacy of any request for money that comes from an unexpected source.
- ALWAYS rely on proven and traceable methods of payment that offer built-in protections against fraud.
- NEVER agree to pay for a service or product via gift cards or other similarly anonymous payment methods.
- NEVER agree to pay a ransom to cybercriminals without first consulting appropriate authorities including law enforcement and, in the case of university owned computers, EITS or your departmental IT support.
- NEVER provide personal information, credentials, bank account information, login names, passwords, photographs, or other identifying information via email or social media.
- ALWAYS pay for institutional parking permits or fines via a trusted University or government website or in person at a University or government office.
- ALWAYS be prepared to contact local law enforcement to report suspicious or criminal activity.
If you suspect you have been the victim of such a scam, please contact the UGA Police Department at 706-542-2200 for assistance. If you are unsure whether the source of an email you have received is legitimate, forward the email to abuse@ uga.edu and request an assessment, or contact the EITS Help Desk at 706-542-3106.