VCOM Faculty Handbook

during cleaning, smoke or steam of any type, or a defective detector. VCOM also conducts periodic fire drills to ensure that all building occupants understand the emergency exit process. It is important to evacuate the building during a fire alarm regardless of the cause. No one may re-enter the building after an alarm until the "all clear" has been sounded by the operations staff in charge or by emergency personnel. In the event the fire alarm sounds, students shall proceed immediately to the nearest exit or stairwell leading to an exit to egress the building. Students, faculty, and staff should become familiar with the site-specific fire plans. Building occupants shall proceed at a walking (not running) pace and use caution to avoid injury to other persons when exiting. Building occupants should proceed to the designated outdoor safe zones and refrain from leaving until properly accounted for. Safety policies & procedures consisting of campus safety, fire and safety procedures, and VCOM building evacuation plan maps can be found on the VCOM website at: https://www.vcom.edu/faculty-and-staff/fire-and-safety policies-and-procedures Clery Crime Statistics Report and Clery Annual Safety Report The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act, codified at 20 USC 1092 (f) (Clery Act) as a part of the Higher Education Act of 1965, is a federal law that requires colleges and universities to disclose annual information about campus crime. Each year, VCOM files a report with the United States Department of Education stating the incidences of crime on each VCOM campus. A Crime Log is kept by the Vice President for Operations and may be viewed upon request. The U.S. Department of Education’s report on campus safety for all VCOM campuses is available at: http://ope.ed.gov/campussafety/#/institution/search. For the past several years, VCOM has received an "A" rating with no significant crime problems. The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Crime Statistics Act and the United States Department of Education’s regulations require Title IV participating institutions to publish an Annual Security Report (ASR) every October 1st containing safety and security related policy statements and crime statistics. VCOM’s ASR for the past three years is published on its website at: https://www.vcom.edu/faculty-and-staff/fire and-safety-policies-and-procedures for viewing by students, employees, and the public as soon as it is available. Employees and students are notified annually via email when the new ASR is published. VCOM informs prospective students and prospective employees about the availability of the ASR when they are invited for an interview with the college. Emergency Response Faculty members are responsible for being alert and ready to respond in emergency situations affecting fellow employees, students, and visitors. If a physician is available on campus, he/she will respond immediately to the emergency. As the situation warrants, one employee will call 9-911 for emergency response (police, ambulance, or fire). Firearms and Weapons VCOM property is considered private property; therefore, students, faculty, staff, and visitors are prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any VCOM property, VCOM clinical site, affiliated university campuses, and all surrounding parking lots and space owned or leased by the College. Any visitor or other third party attending an event, or visiting an academic or administrative office, is prohibited from carrying, maintaining, or storing a firearm or weapon on any college facility, even if the owner has a valid permit. This prohibition also applies to all events on campus where people congregate in any public or outdoor areas. Students who violate this policy are subject to disciplinary action up to and including suspension or dismissal.

Inclement Weather and Emergency Notifications

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