The Office of Security Services is charged with maintaining a safe and secure environment on campus. Its chief responsibilities include patrolling campus and staffing security desks; lending assistance and coordinating with first responders in emergencies; investigating reports made by students, faculty, and staff; and collecting campus crime statistics for the U.S. Department of Education. The office’s success depends heavily on cooperation from all those who it is asked to protect.

SVA has a standing committee comprising officials from various offices at the College that is dedicated to ensuring the health and safety of the SVA community and the continuity and/or recovery of critical operations in an emergency. The committee meets regularly to review, allocate, and coordinate resources; seek guidance from the New York Police Department, New York City Office of Emergency Management, and other local authorities; and put in place written response plans.

Each fall, SVA’s Emergency Management Committee (EMC) members participate in a tabletop exercise that tests the group’s ability to use the College’s Emergency Operations Plan to respond to a specific emergency at the College. The Higher Education Act requires universities and colleges to test their emergency response plan. This annual tabletop exercise fulfills this requirement by identifying, coordinating, and making more familiar the roles/responsibilities of the EMC and Campus Security during a major incident on campus. For information on the most recent exercise, see below.

SVA transmits critical information to the College community using the following methods:

• Emergency notices, including unscheduled closings and facilities evacuations, are posted to the College’s website. Status updates will be published as new information becomes available.
• Main telephone line: Emergency notices, including unscheduled closings and facilities evacuations, are the subject of recorded announcements at 212.592.2000, SVA’s primary published telephone number.
• All Concerned Email: Bulk email messages directed to current students, faculty, and administrative staff at their SVA email addresses are used to provide more detailed information in an emergency.
• SVAlert: SVA has contracted with Rave Alert to provide an electronic notification system that allows members of the campus community to receive messages directly to a designated cell phone (as text or voice message), email address, and/or landline phone. Current students, faculty, and administrative staff are automatically enrolled in the system. To select your preferences and check that your contact information is correct, visit MyID.
• In the event that either the College’s website or the main telephone line are temporarily out of service, the College community will be directed to an alternate website and telephone number via All Concerned email and SVAlert.

In addition to the methods listed above, SVA officials may deploy other methods for notifying the College community, including security officers, fire brigades, and other SVA staff.