Home > Letter to Parents

Dear Parents,

A number of parents and students have emailed me with safety concerns and suggestions. Thank you—I hope that you will continue to be engaged on this and other issues of importance to our campus.

I can assure you that everyone—administrators, faculty, staff and students—are working together to find additional ways to increase the safety in our community. These conversations are happening daily. We are all committed to increasing the overall safety of our community and avoiding additional incidents. I hope that by sharing information and knowledge we will take responsibility for the well-being of our fellow colleagues and students.

I want to provide an update on our efforts related to campus safety and security:

  1. Campus Safety Escort Service (www.unr.edu/escort) has expanded its hours, now operating between 5 p.m. and 1 a.m. Sunday-Wednesday and 5 p.m. and 3 a.m. Thursday-Saturday. This service provides safe transportation via van to any location on campus or within a 2 mile radius.
  2. Campus Parking update – Until March 21, 2008, permit holders may park after 3:30 p.m. at the following locations:
    • The Silver #11 parking zone (Whalen Parking Complex)
    • The Silver #8 parking zone (by the Agriculture and Engineering Bldgs.)
    • The meters located in front of the Joe Crowley Student Union Bld.
  1. Shuttle Service to Residence Halls and Sorority/Fraternity Houses is available from 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m.

    Through the remainder of this semester, Parking and Transportation Services will provide shuttle van services from the following shuttle stops Monday through Thursday via a 15-passenger van:
    • Shuttle Stops include the Joe Crowley Student Union, Fitzgerald Student Services Building and the Virginia Street Gymnasium.
    • Shuttles will service 9th and Sierra St. for sorority/fraternity students and Artemesia Way for residence hall students.
    • Campus Shuttle Services are extended to 10:00 p.m., Monday through Thursday for the remainder of the semester.
      If you have any questions, please contact the Parking and Transportation Services Department at (775)784-4654.
  2. We have increased police patrols, especially at night.
  3. We are conducting a series of safety presentations that give our students, faculty and staff practical information they can use to protect themselves. In addition to public, scheduled training sessions, many more sessions have been conducted at the request of campus organizations and associations. For example, these training sessions were offered and presented to sororities. A safety video is also available online at www.unr.edu/emergency.
  4. Safety information has been distributed to all students living in our residence halls.
  5. University Police Services distributed more than 1,000 free whistles, and we continue to make these available to anyone who stops by that office or attends a training session.
  6. We are holding self-defense training workshops.
  7. We will be installing “blue light” phones on campus.
  8. We have developed an emergency information website, www.unr.edu/emergency.
  9. We are distributing pocket-sized cards with safety tips and important numbers including the numbers for motorist assistance and the Campus Safety Escort Service. These are available at a number of locations around campus.
  10. We are reformatting and updating our Emergency Procedures Guide and making the information available online at www.unr.edu/emergency/info. This guide offers important information on dealing with a wide variety of emergency situations including fire, medical/first aid, and other emergency situations.
  11. We are fortunate to have active, concerned student organizations representing our graduate and undergraduate students. Those organizations have been instrumental in partnering with University administration to help assess and improve campus safety. Two campus safety assessment walks with students and administrators are conducted each semester, and the next walk is happening shortly. Those student organizations are also creating a volunteer escort network.

The University Police Department is working closely with the Reno Police Department in the investigations of the recent assaults and kidnapping. We are fortunate that we have a solid partnership with the city.

We are asking everyone to be safe and look out for the safety of those around them. This is the time for our campus to come together as a community and to look out for one another.

Sincerely,

Milton D. Glick
President