SUNY Potsdam

All residence halls are locked by the keyless entry system and checked regularly by the Residence Life Staff as well as patrolled by University Police.  Each student will be issued at check-in an individual key to his/her assigned residence hall. College issued SUNY ID Cards will allow students access to their assigned residence hall only.  You are responsible for carrying your room key and SUNY ID Card with you at all times.

• Make sure the exterior doors to your building are shut after you use them.
• Do not prop open the exterior hall doors.  This creates a potentially dangerous safety situation.  University Police will monitor and respond to any propped exterior doors.
• Do not let students in to your hall whom you do not know and who do not live there.
• The Residence Halls have courtesy phones.  Have your friends utilize these phones located outside of the residence hall to call when they arrive after the hall is locked at night. 
• Keep your room/suite doors locked at all times for your own safety and the protection of your valuables.  This includes when you are sleeping, doing laundry and in the bathroom.
• It is important that any strange behaviors, strange persons and maintenance or safety concerns are reported immediately to the residence life staff or University Police.
• Do not leave your personal property in an unsecured area, especially laundry unattended in the laundry room. 
• It is recommended that students mark their personal belongings and record serial numbers.
• There is 24 hour card access by residential area/quad.  Students should not let in people they do not know.  This includes students who want to “tail-gate.”
  

The residence halls have a variety of staff available to assist students with emergencies.  This includes a number of live-in professional and paraprofessional staff members who are specially selected and trained.  These staff members are available day and night to address situations that might arise.  In addition, a number of other departments have staff available after traditional college business hours.  The Counseling Center has a staff member on call during the evening hours and weekends for psychological issues.  The University Police Officers are on campus 24-hours a day, 7 days a week for safety and security.  The maintenance department has 24 hour coverage for facility related concerns.  Lastly, the Campus Rescue Squad (CRS) is available to address any medical related issues when classes are in session.

Safety is of particular concern over college vacation and break periods.  There are fewer numbers of both students and staff in the halls during breaks.  Please take extra precautions during these times and make sure that the residence life staff is aware of your presence in the building.  Not all halls are open for all breaks and vacations.

Some areas of the Residence Halls are subject to video surveillance.  Video surveillance is limited to public, common areas of the residence halls, to include building entrances, lobbies, lounges, elevators, elevator areas, stairwells, laundry rooms, recreation rooms, storage rooms and hallways that do not contain student rooms.  Video surveillance can be used to assist with investigations into policy violations and unlawful behaviors.