Appendix K

OSU Alert & Clery Act Communications

The OSU Alert system is the primary distribution mechanism for emergency notifications, timely warnings and related follow-up communications as required by the Clery Act. OSU Alerts are sent via email, but students and staff may also sign up to receive text and/or voice messages. OSU Alert may also be used to disseminate security information and other campus notifications not mandated by the Clery Act. Information below outlines the implementation of OSU Alert.

Circumstances Requiring an OSU Alert under the Clery Act

Oregon State University disseminates Clery Act-required notifications by issuing OSU Alerts in response to either of the two following circumstances when all associated criteria are met:

1. Reported criminal activity:
   1. A Clery Act-defined crime is reported (see list in Appendix B, Attachment 1);
   2. The crime occurred at a reportable location defined by the Clery Act, specifically on-campus (e.g., Memorial Union), on-campus student housing (Weatherford Hall), non-campus (Fraternity/Extension Office), or public property (Monroe Ave./Western Blvd.); and
   3. The reported crime represents a serious or ongoing threat to students and employees.
2. Significant emergencies or dangerous situations:
   1. Confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation (see list of examples in Appendix B, Attachment 1);
   2. Involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees; and
   3. Occurring on the campus.

Oregon State University will withhold as confidential the names and other identifying information of victims as defined by the Violence Against Women Act. OSU Alerts are not issued with respect to crimes reported confidentially to confidential resources, such as to a pastoral or professional counselor.

Criteria for Issuing a Time Warning

Oregon State University (OSU) issues a timely warning whenever: (1) a crime specified under the Jeanne Clery Act (Clery Act) is reported to the Oregon State University Department of Public Safety (DPS), a campus security authority (CSA), or OSU is informed by law enforcement; (2) there is a serious or ongoing threat to students and employees because of the crime and (3) the crime occurred at a reportable location defined by the Clery Act.

OSU may also send additional safety notifications not required by the Clery Act to increase safety and awareness for the OSU community.

Reportable locations defined by the Clery Act include, but are not limited to, the Corvallis campus, Cascade campus, Hatfield Marine Science Center, OSU Portland Center, OSU at Eastern Oregon University, areas adjacent to OSU campus properties, non-campus property owned or controlled by OSU or OSU recognized student organizations, and certain other areas covered by the Clery Act.

The Decision to Issue a Timely Warning is Made on a Case-by-Case Basis

The following are some factors to consider when determining whether an ongoing or serious threat exists. Ordinarily, no single factor will determine whether a Timely Warning shall be issued.

• Was the suspect identified?
• Was the suspect not apprehended?
• Was the report made to OSU in time to assist in promoting safety decisions for members of the OSU community?
• Did the incident involve physical violence or threats of physical violence?
• Did the incident involve use or threats to use weapons?
• Was the suspect known to the victim or was there a relationship between the suspect and the victim?
• Was the incident connected to a pattern of behavior?
• Was the incident motivated by bias?
• Was there a prior or prospective no-contact order in place?
• Did the suspect have a history of non-compliance with law enforcement or institutional directives?
• Did the incident involve multiple victims?
• Did the incident involve minors?
• Were there drugs or intoxicants used on the victim to perpetrate the crime?
• Did the crime take advantage of behaviors (such as unlocked doors, vulnerable conditions, or routines) that could be widely and effectively mitigated by a safety message?
• Were there other aggravated circumstances or signs of predatory behavior?
• Were there enough facts to determine whether a serious or ongoing threat existed?

Other Circumstances That may use OSU Alert-Security Information & Routine Campus Notifications

Oregon State University may issue OSU Alerts for circumstances that do not meet the above criteria but are still of interest to the campus community. OSU Alerts may be used to disseminate security information related to non-Clery Act crimes, such as simple larcenies or vehicle break-ins, or campus-wide issues such as power outages, facility impacts, traffic news, or weather news (e.g., snow closures).

Other incident communications may be sent through other communication channels (Appendix C) established email lists, as well as or instead of OSU Alert. These messages may be approved by other university officials, if they are directly involved with an emergency response within their area of authority and then only to their area of responsibility:

• Athletics.
• University Housing and Dining Services.
• Facilities Services.
• Capital Planning/Construction/Facilities Campus Notifications.
  • Campus Notifications reach all building managers and others who are impacted by core infrastructure incidents.
• Student communication/emails are coordinated through the Office of the Registrar.

Authorization of OSU Alerts

The following must normally concur on the release of an OSU Alert:

1. OSU AVP for Public Safety/Chief of Police (AVP DPS), or designee.
2. OSU VP for University Relations and Marketing (VP URM), or designee.

In situations that pose a life-safety risk, the OSU Incident Commander (IC), or designee may release an OSU Alert without full participation of other campus collaborators and leaders. In these circumstances, pre-scripted/pre-approved templates (see Appendix I).

The on-duty patrol supervisor of the OSU Department of Public Safety, or designee will serve as the IC until relieved by other designated university personnel, such as the AVP for Public Safety/Chief of Police or Senior Associate Vice President for Administration. The IC, or designee reviews the details of the incident and determine if it meets the requirements for an OSU Alert under the Clery Act. The Initial Communication Analysis form (Appendix B, Attachment 2) or Google Doc-OSU Alert Evaluation Form can be used to guide and document these assessments.

Message Priorities

Content of OSU Alerts

Upon confirming there is a significant emergency or a dangerous situation involving an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees occurring on campus, the IC, or designee will, without delay and taking into account the safety of the community, determine the content of the OSU Alert by selecting from preformatted and approved emergency messaging templates (Appendix I), and initiate the notification system by sending the emergency message through the OSU Alert portal. The IC may designate the Department of Public Safety Dispatch Center or another OSU Alert system administrator (E.g., Emergency Preparedness) to complete these steps. If the IC decides a time sensitive or emergent circumstance exits, preformatted and approved emergency messages can be released without the participation of other collaborators.

The IC will initiate the notification system, unless issuing a notification will, in the professional judgment of responsible authorities (e.g., an investigating law enforcement agency) compromise efforts to assist a victim or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

The OSU Alert will include details about which segment of the campus community is affected, a description of the incident and recommended measures the campus community should take to protect themselves, such as evacuation, avoiding certain areas/buildings or sheltering-in-place. The OSU Recorded Information Line (541-737-8000), the OSU Alert website, vehicle public address systems, news releases and social media may serve as additional distribution systems and are used to disseminate emergency information to the larger community.

If the incident is not an immediate or imminent life-safety risk but still meets the criteria for an OSU Alert (e.g., serious or ongoing Clery Act-defined crime), the IC, or designee will activate an assessment team for further analysis, message development, and dissemination. This team may be composed of all or, depending on the situation, some of the following: the IC, AVP for Public Safety/Chief of Police or designee, a URM representative, a Division of Finance and Administration representative, and representatives from the Office of General Counsel, Emergency Preparedness, Clery Act Compliance, Facilities Services, University Housing and Dining Services, or Office of the Dean of Students.

If the assessment team concludes the incident requires an OSU Alert, the message will be drafted and include information about which campus is affected, a description of the incident, recommended protective measures, relevant campus resources and where to get more information about the incident. When developing the message, the university will consider the potential impact on various law enforcement operations and will not compromise these efforts.

Follow-up Communications

Situations are evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will be continually assessed until the incident is resolved. If an OSU Alert was sent in response to a significant emergency or dangerous situation, an “All Clear” follow-up message should be issued once the incident is completed or stabilized.

Additional messages may be provided to keep recipients informed of the incident response and any additional protective actions needed. Subsequent communications will be composed and sent in coordination with the assessment team. These messages may have pre-formatted templates or be created specifically for the event and should follow the OSU Crisis Communication Plan. If an arrest is made, or other follow-up communication is necessary, the lead agency will make an announcement in consultation with the vice president for URM.

Spokesperson