Announcement

A Message from Public Safety - Resources and Enhancements

January 27, 2022

With the spring semester underway and the Business School settling into its new home at Kravis and Geffen Halls in Manhattanville, I am writing to remind you about safety resources and enhancements available to students, faculty, and staff in place to help keep our campus community safe.  I encourage you to reach out to us at [email protected] if you have questions about these or other Public Safety resources. 

  • Walking and vehicle patrols in and around the Morningside, Manhattanville, and CUIMC campuses that provide a 24/7 visible presence in the community, with additional patrols deployed in the evening to early morning hours. Recent enhancements include additional foot patrols operating on sections of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue and expanded coverage areas for vehicle patrols. 
     
  • Guard booths situated around Columbia’s campuses, including four at the Morningside campus entrances, two on Riverside Drive, two on Morningside Drive, two on the Manhattanville campus, and two on the CUIMC campus. All booths except Riverside Drive and Ft. Washington/168th St. are staffed 24/7, including newly expanded hours at the guard booth at 119th and Amsterdam which adds another safe, late-night entrance to the Morningside campus. In addition, Teachers College has two guard booths on its perimeter, and Barnard has four on its perimeter. 
     
  • The on-demand Evening Shuttle, powered by Via Rideshare, provides a free and safe alternative to walking alone at night. The service has added more vehicles during peak periods to reduce wait times and has extended the coverage area eastward to include Adam Clayton Powell Jr Boulevard between 110th and 133rd Streets.  Learn more about how this service works, the coverage area, the service hours (currently beginning at 4 p.m. each day adjusted for seasonal daylight) and how to download the app and get a unique promo code (UNI login required) at the Transportation website.
     
  • Expansion of service hours of the Manhattanville Loop Shuttle started in early January, adding another safe, late evening travel option between the Manhattanville and Morningside campuses. Visit the Transportation website for stop locations, hours of operation and more.  
     
  • Walking safety escorts at all three campuses, including the reintroduction of the Safety Escort program at the Morningside campus. Learn more about service areas and hours of operation, along with how to request a safety escort, on the Public Safety website. 
     
  • Other existing resources available for travel around campus (in addition to the Evening Shuttle and Manhattanville Loop) include the Intercampus Shuttle (including a new northbound stop at 116th and Broadway after normal business hours), an app that provides real-time, GPS tracking of the shuttles so you know when the next bus is coming, the LionSafe smartphone app, neighborhood merchants serving as Safe Havens, and Blue Light Emergency Call Boxes.  
     
  • Information and events designed to enhance personal safety, including a list of personal safety tips in various situations and crime prevention programs available. In addition, please consider joining a situational awareness skills training seminar to learn actionable tips to protect your personal safety in threatening situations. Consult the Public Safety Events Calendar to register for upcoming trainings and safety-related events. Not available to attend a training? Watch a recording of a past situational awareness training.
     
  • Safety and security on public transit. There has been an increase in crime in parts of the public subway transit system. Please remain alert and aware of your surroundings when riding, follow our crime prevention tips when taking subways or buses, utilize Columbia’s transportation offerings whenever possible, and be on the lookout for more information about an upcoming Public Safety seminar on safety and security while riding mass transit.

As always, you can contact us for emergency and non-emergency issues: 

Morningside Campus: 
Non-emergency: 212-854-2797  Emergency: 212-854-5555 

Manhattanville Campus: 
Non-emergency: 212-853-3301  Emergency: 212-853-3333 

Medical Center Campus: 
Non-emergency: 212-305-8100  Emergency: 212-305-7979 

We are continuously looking to work with the University community and community partners to further these enhancements. The safety and well-being of our students, faculty, and staff remains our top priority.