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Vassar College, as it is in all communities, finds it necessary to safeguard personal property and to be aware of established security regulations. The college employs men and women, both in uniform and plain clothes, dedicated to providing a safe, peaceful campus for your enjoyment and an environment conducive to academic endeavors. Vassar is one of the few colleges where a security officer is assigned to residence houses at night. These men and women are on campus for your help and protection. Should you need help, dial extension 7333. All suspicious circumstances and individuals should be reported to Security for investigation and evaluation. Directed by Donald C. Marsala, the Security Department is staffed by Associate Director Kim Squillace, three sergeants, and 29 full-time, New York State certified security officers.

Campus Alerts and Advisories

Because Vassar has long recognized the importance of keeping its community members, and others well informed about public safety issues, Vassar College Security provides timely notification of potential and actual occurrences of criminal activity to the Vassar community in conjunction with other law-enforcement agencies and other College departments.

Campus Crime Alerts are intended to provide timely warning of crimes that pose an ongoing threat to faculty, staff, and students. These Crime Alerts contain a brief description of the incident; the date, time, and location of the incident; and precautions to take.

Campus Advisories are also issued in those instances where the community should be aware of the potential for criminal activity. Both advisories and alerts are posted in each Residence Hall, the Campus Security Information Board in the College Center and are sent via e-mail to all members of the community.

Parking Regulations

The Vassar College Security Department acknowledges that parking on campus remains a challenge and we request the cooperation and patience of all.

General Parking Regulations
Student Parking Regulations

Security in the Residence Halls

Assuring the security of the resident student population is a priority for the residential life staff. Security policies and procedures are outlined in printed regulations and discussed with residents in crime prevention seminars organized by the Residential Life Office and the Security Department. Should an emergency arise, a staff member is on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week. House advisers (trained residence life professionals) and house fellows (faculty members) live in the residence halls and are also available to meet students’ needs. Each residence hall has a card entry system. Only individuals with proper ID or guests accompanied by their hosts may gain entry into the residence halls.

In addition, security officers conduct regular rounds both inside and outside of each residence hall during evening and night hours. A security officer also patrols the grounds of the Town Houses, South Commons, and Terrace Apartments at night.

Campus Patrol

Security on Vassar’s campus is enhanced by Campus Patrol, an independent student organization comprising approximately 120 student employees who patrol the campus from 6:00pm to 2:00am. (3:00am on weekends) during the academic year. These men and women walk the campus equipped with security radios. They are primarily a preventive force, but they also help Security lock buildings, remove trespassers, and provide an immediate response to the emergency phones located across the campus.

Bicycle Patrol

The Vassar College Security Department implemented a Bicycle Patrol into it's existing operations recently. The bicycles will serve as a supplement to the marked patrol vehicles and foot patrols already being used by the department. With the purchase of four "Fuji" mountain bikes and appropriate uniforms, four assigned officers will now begin patrolling Vassar's 1200 acres on bicycles. Read more about bicycle patrol.

R.A.D. Courses offered by Vassar College Security

The Rape Aggression Defense System is a program of realistic, self-defense tactics and techniques. It is a comprehensive course for women that begins with risk awareness, prevention, reduction and avoidance, while progressing on to the basics of hands-on defense training. Our courses are taught by certified R.A.D. Instructors.

R.A.D. Classes are offered free to members of the Vassar College Community and are offered several times throughout the year. All-campus e-mails will announce the times and dates. Read more about R.A.D.

Building Access Change Request Form

All departmental requests for building openings, or for individual access should be submitted through the departmental chairperson office using this form.

Key Permission Form

Use the key permission form to update the list of people authorized to use campus keys. The form must be submitted by the authorizing person listed in our records. The form is to be used to add or delete names from the database and changes must be submitted before keys are given out. For assistance in completing the form, please contact Kim Squillace X5202 or e-mail kisquillace@vassar.edu.

Vehicle Request Form

Vehicles for college use are available to the Vassar Community. All requests should be made one week in advance. To fill out a vehicle request form, click here. The Security Department will respond to your request.

Escort and Shuttle Services

Members of the community are advised not to walk alone during the late evening hours. Campus Patrol offers an escort service with regular hours of operation. Any member of the community may use this service to be escorted anywhere on campus. The Security Department also offers a shuttle van to transport students around the campus and to some off-campus housing during the academic year.

Between 7pm and 3am, the shuttle runs on the half hour at the following locations:

Safety Education

The Security Department regularly presents crime prevention seminars in the residence halls and distributes brochures and guidelines outlining security policies and procedures and other important sources of information, as well as federally mandated crime statistics (annual security report.)

The Advisory Committee on Campus Safety will provide upon request all campus crime statistics as reported to the United States Department of Education (http://www.ed.gov/index.jhtml). The Director of Security will provide, upon request, the annual campus crime statistics. The Security Department's telephone number is 845.437.5200

Security Map

The campus Security Map is available online.

Security Offices

The Security Department offices, located at 2490 New Hackensack Road, are open weekdays from 8:30am to 5:00pm; however, a security officer stationed at the Campus Response Center located in Main Building is available 24 hours a day, and uniformed security officers provide aroundthe- clock protection and services for the campus community. The Security Department, which reports to the dean of the college, consists of a director, two associate directors, three sergeants, and 29 full-time, certified security officers. Although they are not police officers, they do have powers of arrest as agents of the college. Uniformed security officers patrol the grounds to enforce state and local statutes as well as college rules and regulations. The Security Department enjoys an excellent working relationship with the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, an agency of some 70 fulltime officers.