VCOM Administrative and Classified Staff Handbook

the campus and enjoy the atmosphere and walking paths. For safety reasons, students and employees are asked to refrain from walking on plant beds, across lawns or entering restricted areas. The pathways are for provided for safety. VCOM encourages and often hosts outdoor activities that are planned. Impromptu or unplanned use of facilities for sports such as golf, volleyball, baseball, etc. are not permitted as they may have a direct and immediate impact on the safety of others or may cause damage to certain areas. Students and employees should contact Facilities if they have any questions about what sports are permitted and to request to use the grounds for said activities. Through agreements with the YMCA and the University campuses, access to sports and safe sporting facilities are available and the student should contact the Associate Dean for Student Affairs to identify those sites. Bicycle paths also exist in all four campus communities, as well as nearby state parks for recreation. Campus Safety and Access All VCOM students, faculty, and staff are responsible for campus safety. The campus is available for student access during announced times. The use of VCOM IDs are required to access the building during approved hours. Employees will receive a VCOM photo identification badge upon hire, which is used for identification and access to the campus building. VCOM identification badges must be worn/displayed in plain site by the students, faculty, and staff always when on VCOM premises and while on clinical rotations. This badge must be used to access the VCOM campus/building during approved hours. All students and employees are required to badge into campus individually. Students, faculty, and staff who cannot display their badge for whatever reason, must acquire a temporary access badge from reception for use for 24 hrs. After the 24 hours, the temporary badge must be returned to reception and a new badge issued (if the existing badge is lost). Anyone using temporary badges must enter the building through the front entrance only, as temporary badges do not grant building access through the card swipe system. Students, faculty, or staff who observe someone in the building without their photo ID displayed, should report that person to the nearest VCOM faculty or staff member. If you observe suspicious or criminal activity on campus, please report these actions immediately. Lost or stolen badges should be reported to Operations immediately so that they may be deactivated for security reasons. In the event a badge is lost, there will be a replacement fee (fees differ among campuses due to the source we acquire them from). Campus Safety Officers are always on-duty after normal business hours on evenings and weekends while the building is open to students and are available for general security and safety issues. Campus Safety Officers are available to escort students to their parked cars after dark if one feels the need for additional security. For assistance, please call the security number posted throughout the building or report to the front desk. The available Campus Safety Officer will also contact the local police if needed. In addition, in the event of an emergency, courtesy phones, which are located throughout the building, may be used to contact “911.” Fire Safety As part of VCOM’s fire safety procedures, students, faculty, and staff are provided with building evacuation maps. These are provided to all new employees upon hire and all first-year students at orientation. All students, faculty, and staff are also provided these maps annually. The evacuation maps show features of the building, including exits and stairway locations and outline the evacuation route that should be used by building occupants according to where they are in the building. Evacuation plans exist for all VCOM buildings. Faculty, staff, and students should review and be familiar with the evacuation plans. Fire alarms can be sounded for many different reasons including an actual fire, an intentional activation, an accident 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

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