Physical Security and Access to Campus
Maintaining building security is a major priority for the University to protect individuals living on campus and those who come to campus to use University facilities. University instructional and administrative facilities are generally open to the public during normal business hours all year, but they are locked at other times. Individuals who need access to locked facilities should call UNC Police. Requests for access without prior arrangement require proof of identity and authorization from the person or department that controls the facility or area.
The Institute of Marine Sciences (IMS) is a research laboratory, teaching, outreach and service unit of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Located on the central North Carolina coast in Morehead City, the mission of the Institute of Marine Sciences is to conduct cutting-edge research, train young scientists, provide expertise to governmental agencies and industry, and to promote new knowledge to inform public policy. The Institute remains open during the hours of 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Students participating in IMS programs will reside at the Center for Marine Sciences and Technology, operated by North Carolina State University. The IMS also has a small dormitory available to graduate students and faculty who require short term lodging. The building is locked at all times and accessible only via assigned keys. Note that the immediate responding local law enforcement agencies to the Marine Sciences campus are the Morehead City Police Department and the Carteret County Sheriff’s Office.
- In any emergency (medical or criminal), dial 911.
- The nonemergency telephone number for the law enforcement response is 252-726-1911, Carteret County Emergency Communications.
The Morehead City Police Department responds to calls for service and investigates crimes, with collaboration from UNC Police as needed. Unless otherwise specified, all policies outlined in this report apply to the IMS Morehead City campus. Further, all University main campus resources are also available to students studying at the IMS.
The majority of housekeepers work on third shift when buildings are closed. They check out the keys to the buildings they are responsible for, enter the buildings and relock the doors. They do not open the doors for anyone during these hours. The zone manager and crew leader perform inspections of each building nightly. The assistant directors of Housekeeping Services perform unannounced inspections of random buildings to ensure compliance. Housekeeping Services utilizes a Team Cleaning process in cleaning the facilities on campus. This process requires the staff to work in teams of two or more, which ensures that staff are not alone in any facility while cleaning. Housekeepers carry cellphones and/or radios for easy access to their zone manager, assistant director and UNC Police officers in case of an emergency. Security guards employed through UNC Police patrol on foot, check buildings and respond to housekeepers’ calls for assistance.
All residence halls have electronic key systems where residents can open the outside door by using a proximity key to activate the reader. Exterior doors to residence halls are locked at all times. Exceptions are made when students move in each semester. Signs posted at the entrance to each residence hall provide notice of restrictions on entry.
Each resident has a metal and/or proximity key to their residence hall room or apartment. If a student changes rooms, the student’s profile is updated in the housing management computer system and all keys to the former room are collected and keys to the new room are issued. If a student moves off campus, the student’s profile is updated in the housing management system and all keys are collected without the issuance of new keys. All such changes are made online and are effective immediately. Residents are advised to keep doors locked at all times and to immediately report lost/stolen keys to the Community Office. The Facilities Services Housing Support department deactivates lost/stolen keys as described above.
Residents may have invited guests visit; however, some halls have restrictions related to when guests may visit, commonly referred to as visitation. Limited visitation allows guests to visit from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday-Thursday and 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Standard visitation allows guests to visit anytime with the permission of the roommate.
Both visitation options require roommate consent. Students are asked to complete roommate agreements early in the academic year to establish guidelines for guests. In addition, students living in the residence hall or apartment are responsible for maintaining the visitation standards as members of a common community. The resident adviser is available to mediate when roommate or community agreements are not upheld. Each residence hall has a telephone located at the entrance. Invited guests gain access to the residence hall by calling their host and asking to be escorted while visiting. Students are held responsible for the behavior of their guests.
Only authorized personnel are provided access to keys that open multiple residence hall doors. These include UNC Police, maintenance personnel and residence hall staff. Live-in professional staff members control residence hall room key access. The Facilities Services Housing Support department controls master key access through the use of secured key boxes in the buildings. At a minimum, access to these keys requires users to have an assigned passcode. Based on this code, only keys required in the function of staff duties are available to the user. The key boxes are networked, so the lock shop has data on what keys are checked out, when and for how long. There is also an alert system that notifies the lock shop if keys have been checked out longer than the permitted time.
Adequate lighting on campus is an important component of safety and security at night. Campus lighting corridors provide higher level lighting for walkways and parking lots that are used frequently after dark. While it is cost prohibitive at this time to provide such lighting across the entire campus, additional illumination along these corridors is both necessary and beneficial to campus safety and security. The concentration of after-dark pedestrians in the lighting corridors also reduces each pedestrian’s sense of being alone and more vulnerable.
Lighting corridors now exist from East Franklin Street at the north end of campus to Ram Village residence halls on the south end of campus. Older lights on north campus have been replaced with higher intensity, improved color lights that serve to nearly double the amount of light in those areas and improve color recognition for easier identification. East-west corridors follow Cameron Avenue and South Road. To review lighting needs, the Electric Distribution Systems working group within Energy Services conducts lighting tours of the campus twice a year. Normally, tours are held in April and October. These walking tours allow students and employees to point out where lighting needs improvement, to see where the landscape has changed (because of construction or tree and shrubbery growth, for example) and to see the impact of those changes already made to improve lighting.
Representatives from the student body, the Graduate and Professional Student Federation, UNC Police, Carolina Housing, Facilities Planning and Design, Building Services, Grounds Services and members of the Campus Personal Safety Committee usually participate in the tours. The tour leader historically is the manager of Electric Distribution Systems and/or a member of their staff.
The tours are open to any interested person. Advance notices of tour dates are sent to the above-mentioned representatives and to The Daily Tar Heel, the student newspaper, and The Well, the faculty and staff online news source.
Anyone with a concern about lighting or interested in participating in a walking tour is encouraged to call Electric Distribution Systems at 919-962-8394 at any time.
Point-to-Point (P2P)
The P2P Express serves designated stops around campus on a fixed route 7 p.m. – 3 a.m., seven days a week during the fall and spring semesters and summer sessions. The P2P Baity Hill Shuttle serves Baity Hill 7 p.m. – 3 a.m. Monday through Saturday and on-demand on Sundays during the fall and spring semesters and summer sessions. P2P Express and the Baity Hill Shuttle are available to all faculty, staff and students. Service is only provided when residence halls are open.
P2P also provides on-demand transportation services to authorized students and employees with accessibility needs 24 hours a day, Monday through Friday. On weekends, service is available 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. – 6 a.m. The service is free to students and employees with University identification cards registered with Accessibility Resource Services or the Equal Opportunity and Compliance Office.
P2P provides After Dark services for students and employees Monday through Sunday, 7 p.m. – 6 a.m., if pickup location is not served by P2P Express or the Baity Hill Shuttle. Pick-up and drop-off points are limited to on-campus locations or specific off-campus locations owned or operated by the University, including on-campus parking lots.
P2P provides transportation for students to and from campus locations and Campus Health Services or UNC Hospitals Emergency Room. More information about P2P services can be found on the Transportation and Parking website.
Download the TransLoc app or visit the TransLoc website for fixed-route tracking information and request on-demand services. On-demand service requests are also available at 919-962-7867.
Commuter Alternative Program (CAP)
CAP is a nationally recognized program designed to reward commuting students and employees who do not drive alone to campus, offering alternative commute options including fare-free local and regional transit service.
CAP members who have an emergency and need transportation to park-and-ride lots or other locations in Chapel Hill or Carrboro may use P2P Emergency Ride Back services. Employees living outside the Chapel Hill/Carrboro area may also join the regional Emergency Ride Home program. Other CAP benefits include a no cost regional bus pass or vanpool subsidy for eligible commuters, a discount card, prize drawings, free Zipcar membership and free occasional use parking.
Zipcar
Zipcar is a convenient car sharing service which allows employees and students to access a vehicle on campus. Students (must be 18), employees and University departments have access to Zipcars on campus for use by the hour or by the day. Fuel and insurance are included.
ShareTheRideNC
Students and employees may also sign up for this free ride-matching service. ShareTheRideNC is typically used by commuters looking for rides to UNC-Chapel Hill. One-time trip matching is also available. Registrants may choose to only match to other University commuters or to any person with a similar commute.
For more transit and parking information, visit the Transportation and Parking website.