The following email was sent to the Barnard community on January 21, 2020:
Dear Barnard Community,
I hope you had a restful and restorative break. I am writing to welcome you back to campus and also to remind you about available safety resources and to share additional, updated information. Please know that Barnard Public Safety is here to support you and provide assistance 24/7.
Lighting and Patrol
In partnership with Columbia, we have been in regular communication with representatives from New York City Police Department (NYPD), the NYC Department of Parks, and the NYC Department of Transportation as they work to provide enhanced lighting in and around Morningside Park, Riverside Park, and along 110th Street, especially between Manhattan Avenue and Amsterdam Avenue. Temporary lighting, which will be upgraded, has been installed in Morningside Park. The NYPD and the NYC Parks Commission have also increased their patrols in Morningside Heights, Morningside Park, and Riverside Park. In particular, there is increased attention on 110th Street between Manhattan Avenue and Broadway, and on Broadway between 110th Street and 120th Street.
In Morningside Park, the corridor crossing (often used to access the B/C trains) from 116th Street/Morningside Drive to 116th Street/Morningside Avenue is receiving focused patrol by NYPD officers and Parks Enforcement Patrol officers. Columbia University Public Safety also operates two guard booths outside the park on Morningside Drive — one at 116th Street and one at 122nd Street, which are currently staffed 24 hours a day.
Barnard is also in conversation with community-based organizations that focus on the park and surrounding areas in an effort to help support and contribute to the vitality of the neighborhood. Ariana González Stokas, Barnard’s vice president of diversity, equity, and inclusion, is leading this effort. As President Beilock mentioned in her Welcome Back Letter this morning, an upcoming discussion series will help in further developing a College-wide engagement strategy with nearby communities.
Barnard and Columbia Shuttle Service
The Barnard shuttle service has been expanded to operate from 5 p.m. to 4 a.m. The shuttle makes a loop twice an hour, every half hour, between Barnard’s campus and the exterior residence halls. A shuttle schedule is available on our website and is posted at the desk of every residence hall where the shuttle stops.
As a reminder, Barnard students may also access Columbia University’s evening shuttle bus, which makes stops between 108th Street and 125th Street. Please access CU shuttle schedules and route maps by visiting Columbia’s website. You can also download the CU shuttle service app to have information readily available at anytime.
Safety Escort
Barnard can provide an escort upon request on and between campus property by calling our nonemergency line at 212-854-3362. Columbia University Safety Escorts provide walking safety escorts at the Morningside Columbia campus during the school year from 7 p.m. to 3 a.m., seven days a week. To contact Columbia’s escort service, please call 212-854-SAFE (7233).
Safety Practices and Emergency Notification Protocols
Barnard Public Safety continues to encourage students to utilize the personal safety practices shared during Orientation. More information can be found here: barnard.edu/publicsafety/safetytips.
Our Physical Education Department will be offering a personal safety seminar, scheduled for February 6, 2020, at 6:30 p.m. Details can be found on Barnard Public Safety’s website or you can submit an RSVP here: https://forms.gle/fGRpcghBbW6EK9hp9. If a group or office would like to request a crime prevention or fire and life safety seminar, please contact me at azavadil@barnard.edu.
In terms of notifications, quickly communicating emergency information is vital to maintaining the safety of our community. Our text alert system is used to send out emergency notifications when there is an immediate confirmed threat to the safety of our campus or involving a student. For off-campus incidents, and depending upon the circumstances, we may wait to gather as much detail as possible before sending out an alert, which helps us to avoid sharing inaccurate information. Email communication may also be used for these alerts.
As we return from winter break, we are asking students to visit MyBarnard to verify that their student profile and cell phone number are correct to confirm that they are able to receive text alerts. Barnard students can also opt into Columbia University’s Public Safety text alert system here, by logging in with their Columbia UNI to the Columbia SSOL. The link can be found under “Your Academic Records”; select “Text Message Enrollment.”
For all on-campus emergencies, call 212-854-6666. If your emergency is off campus, dial 911. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to our office. We are here to support you and work with you.
Sincerely,
Amy Zavadil, Interim Executive Director of Public Safety