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Keep Your BuckID Secure at all Times
Safety
Housing and Residence Education is committed to maintaining a safe living environment for our residents.
Campus residence halls are locked 24-hours a day. To gain access, students must use their BuckID card to open an outside door. A student must be escorted through any residence hall they do not live in by a resident of that hall. They can contact their resident host to do so or, via a foyer telephone, request assistance from the hall desk staff.
Students living in Lincoln Tower, Lawrence Tower and Morrill Tower must also swipe their Buck ID to access the elevator at all times.
Being safe on campus is your personal responsibility. There are several preventative measures that you can take to help ensure that you have a fun and safe time on campus.
- Lock your door, even if just going down the hall.
- Escort your guests; that way, only people who belong in the hall (residents and guests) will be there.
- Do not leave messages on your door about when you will return or where you are.
- Keep ground level windows closed.
- Do not leave tempting valuables visible inside your parked car.
- Record serial numbers and description of valuable property.
- Do not put your address on or attach your BuckID to your key ring.
- Avoid walking alone at night. Always walk in groups of two or more people.
- Always lock your car.
- Use well lit pathways at night.
- Use the Lyft Ride Smart at Ohio State which offers eligible students discounted rides, inside the university-designated service area, from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. Visit ttm.osu.edu/ride-smart.
- Use the blue lights around campus when you need help. They provide a direct line to the The Ohio State University Police Department.
- Call 911 if you have a serious emergency.
- Carry your BuckID with you at all times. The residence halls are locked 24 hours a day so you'll need it to get in.
- Hall staff members, RAs and Hall Directors are always there to assist - contact them if you need help
Over 94.9% of students indicated that their RA/CA encourages them and others to practice behaviors that promote their safety.*
Fire Safety
- 100% of residence hall rooms are equipped with a smoke alarm connected to a 24/7 supervised fire alarm system. Some locations include automatic fire sprinkler systems as well.
- When a fire alarm is sounded in a residence hall, the entire hall staff responds to investigate and assist in evacuation. The alarm connects to the Columbus Fire Department and The Ohio State University Police, who respond immediately. Should the staff discover that is it a false alarm, they call 911 and provide that information.
- Residence Hall staffs are trained in fire alarm operation/investigation techniques and evacuation assistance, as well as spotting fire hazards in the building, such as unapproved cooking appliances and smoking violations.
- Residents are given 2 hours of fire prevention/evacuation training per year, one hour in a mandatory meeting the day after the halls open for the fall, and approximately another hour throughout the year in the form of responses to fire evacuation drills and safety messages communicated as part of other regular communication to residents. Fire evacuation drills are conducted each semester in the residence halls in accordance with the Ohio Fire Code.
*Source: 2018-19 RFS