The Mount's Department of Public Safety is a service-oriented safety enforcement organization with the goal of providing a safe, secure and orderly environment in which teaching, learning and administrative operations of the university can excel.
Dispatch Main Line 301-447-5357
The Inclement Weather Policy ensures the safety of Mount St. Mary's students, faculty, staff, administrators and visitors and the efficient operation of the university during severe/hazardous weather.
Severe/hazardous weather is defined as any weather condition that may endanger our faculty, students or staff while en route to their classroom or work place. Faculty, students and staff are required to follow the guidelines of this institutional policy.
The president of the university will decide if severe/hazardous weather conditions exist and warrant a delayed opening or a closing of the university. A delay or closing of the university will include classes and offices on all campuses (main, north, and Frederick). The seminary as a resident only institution does not close because of severe/hazardous weather. The president will make the decision in consultation with the director of public safety, based on the following information:
Severely changing weather conditions occasionally dictate that decisions occur at a later time or that a delay be extended. All official university notifications and updates will be made through the MountAlert messaging system and posted on the university website. In no cases should students, faculty or employees travel to campus if the local weather conditions are unsafe. Given the distances and local weather conditions, the university will accept personal judgment concerning the safety of travel. Please exercise caution and consider your personal safety as the priority.
Only essential personnel whose work cannot be performed remotely should report to work during a university delay or closing. Personnel should check in with their supervisors for further instructions. Unless otherwise indicated, closings shall be effective at 8 a.m. on the day losing occurs to coincide with the regular business day. In the event of a delay, emergency personnel and all Campus Environment personnel should report to work as regularly scheduled. Essential staff employees will be paid in accordance with the Employee Handbook for staff employees of Mount St. Mary's University. In the event of a delay the university will open for regular business at 10 a.m., on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 11 a.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays unless otherwise determined.
Scheduled public safety officers, residence life and designated campus environment employees are considered essential personnel. Although not considered essential services, the library, media center, computer labs, food service and Knott ARCC have each developed contingency plans so that limited services can be offered except in the most extreme of weather conditions. The post office, university store and all other offices and services are considered nonessential and will not open when the university is declared closed. Personnel should check in with their supervisors for further instructions.
Nonessential employees shall not physically report to work during a delay or university closing without the express consent of their immediate supervisor. This permission should not be given by the immediate supervisor without first consulting the director of human resources or the divisional vice president. Nonessential personnel may be requested to work remotely to maintain essential business operations. Personnel should check in with their supervisors for further instructions.
Unless otherwise announced, all extracurricular activities (lectures, recitals, athletic events, etc.) are canceled when the university is closed because of weather conditions.
During a delay or closing of the university every effort will be made to keep the Knott ARCC open for the Mount community. In the event of a delay or closing information on hours of operation for the ARCC, including schedule adjustments, will be available through the ARCC's Info hotline at 301-447-7424.
During a delay or closing of the university every effort will be made to keep both the library and media center open.
Weather conditions in a particular area that are not severe enough for a university delay or closing still might make it hazardous for a faculty member or employee to make it to the Mount. Faculty, staff and administrators, including those designated as essential, should notify their immediate supervisors prior to their scheduled shifts if they cannot report to work. If faculty are unable to teach their courses in person, then they should shift their courses to synchronous online modality and notify their student via Canvas announcement and email.
The liberal leave policy will be recognized for any employee who cannot get to work because of hazardous weather conditions or who is not requested to work remotely to maintain essential business operations. Liberal leave means an employee must use his/her vacation, personal leave or leave without pay, but need not obtain prior approval.
No university fleet vehicle will be dispatched to any employee or student when road conditions are unsafe for travel.
The following is the scheduled order for snow removal. Keep in mind that several operations will be occurring at the same time. You can also view the paths that will be cleared on the snow removal map.
Snow removal is performed in a progressive manner that ensures emergency routes and access to essential services are maintained. The Mount’s Emergency Operations Center will monitor and adjust specific snow removal requirements as needed to meet operational needs.
Snow emergency roads and snow emergency walkways (as displayed on Snow Removal Map).
Snow emergency parking lots, secondary roads, secondary walkways, ramps, stairs. Snow emergency parking lots are; Terrace, Pangborn, Bradley (front and back), PAC, and University Apartment lots.
Grotto. Residential properties. Secondary parking lots. Campus prepared for opening.
Fire hydrants, dumpsters, Waldron Stadium, general clean up.
Vehicles parked in a "snow emergency" lot that are not assigned to that lot and are interfering with snow removal will be towed at the owner's expense. Terrace, Pangborn, Bradley (front and back), PAC, and University Apartment lots are designated as snow emergency lots. It is the owners' responsibility to move vehicles to their assigned lot, to east campus, or to another location designated by Public Safety in advance of an approaching storm.
On the day following a closing or delay the university will normally reopen on the regular schedule. If the conditions that warranted the closing or delay continue into the next day the president will again make the determination regarding the appropriateness of any new delay or closing. In the event the president determines that another delay or closing is appropriate a new notification process will be initiated by the university.
Mount Alert is a mass notification system used by the university to send emergency alerts and timely notifications to students, faculty and staff. It allows them to receive alerts on their cell phones, home phones, through text messages and via email. This system is designed to enhance campus-wide communication during emergencies and any weather-related issues that may affect campus operations or personal safety.
The Mount SOS app is powered by the same system used for Mount Alert. Once you have subscribed to Mount Alert, the app functions as a mobile blue light phone. It lets users quickly contact Public Safety's emergency number and receive important messages directly on their cell phones. This app is another tool the university provides to enhance safety and communication during emergencies.
Students are automatically enrolled in Mount Alert when registered for at least one class, and employees are enrolled once they are active in Workday. If you experience any issues verifying your information, please contact Public Safety at mountpublicsafety@msmary.edu.
All vehicles parked on Mount St. Mary’s University’s property must be registered and display a valid permit. Faculty, staff, students, and visitors should follow these guidelines for vehicle registration. There is a $60 fee to register a student vehicle to park on main campus in Emmitsburg.
Students may log-in to their MyMount account and register their vehicle under the Public Safety tab. A notification will be sent after the registration has been processed with further instructions. Decals are to be affixed to the bottom left of the rear window of the vehicle.
Student Registration through MyMount
Faculty and staff may visit the Public Safety building with their vehicle information during regular business hours to complete a registration. Hang tags should be displayed hanging from the rearview mirror of the vehicle.
Visitor parking permits are available at the Public Safety building. Visitor permits are to be displayed hanging from the rearview mirror of the vehicle. These permits are temporary.
All vehicles must be parked in their designated parking lot. Any exceptions will be granted by the director of the Department of Public Safety.
View Campus Map with Parking Assignments
Parking violations will be cited 24 hours a day. Vehicles receiving five (5) citations in an academic year may be subject to additional sanctions including towing and/or loss of their parking privileges.
Parking citations can be appealed online by going to msmary.gofmx.com or by visiting the Department of Public Safety. Citations must be appealed within 10 business days from the issuance of the citation (academic breaks excluded).
A citation appeal is only considered valid in specific situations, including but not limited to:
Vehicles receiving five (5) citations in an academic year are subject to towing and/or immobilization (booting) at the owner’s expense.
Booted vehicles unclaimed after 48 hours, or during an emergency situation, or if deemed necessary by the University, will be towed at vehicle owners’ expense and risk, without notice.
Private towing companies are used by the Department of Public Safety. The owner of the towed vehicle can receive the towing company’s information from the Department of Public Safety. Mount St. Mary’s University does not receive any payment from a towing company. Once a towing company has been called to campus, the owner of the vehicle will be responsible for any charges incurred, even if the vehicle is not ultimately towed.
The owner of an immobilized or towed vehicle is responsible for a $50 administrative fee paid to the university, in addition to the payment of all outstanding fines, prior to release of the vehicle.
You may appeal your parking citation through msmary.gofmx.com or in-person at the Department of Public Safety.
If you park in a different lot during the weekend, to help avoid a citation, please make sure to remove any vehicles from restricted lots before Sunday at 7 p.m. so that faculty and staff can park on Monday morning.
Mount St. Mary’s University recognizes that individuals with disabilities may need parking related accommodations to allow them to access the buildings in which they work, live and study. For these community members, the Mount provides disability parking accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended (ADA AA) and other relevant laws.
To request a parking-related accommodation please follow the instruction for and complete the Application for Parking Accommodation. Please note that the medical information provided by your healthcare provider in support of your application must demonstrate:
It is important that the documentation also includes the diagnosis, the history of onset, methods used to determine the diagnosis and the suggested accommodation.
Accommodation requests are reviewed on a rolling basis. It typically takes around 7 days from the date all requested information is submitted to Public Safety to the date a letter is sent notifying you of the decision.
Upon receipt of the required information a review of the request will be completed. After this review the request may (1) be approved (2) be denied or (3) a reasonable accommodation other than the specifically requested one may be suggested. Whether a particular accommodation requested can be provided is determined case by case, according to documented need.
After your request is reviewed you will receive an email with the decision regarding whether you have been approved for a parking accommodation. If you have not been approved the email will explain the rationale for the denial of the request and will describe approved alternative accommodations, if applicable.
Mount St. Mary’s University considers the safety of our students to be essential in the creation and maintenance of an environment where learning is encouraged and supported. The purpose of this policy is to establish procedures to guide the university’s response to reports of missing resident students in support of that proposition. Reports of missing commuter students may also be made to the Public Safety Department who can then notify and assist the appropriate law enforcement authority in an investigation of the missing student.
Each Mount St. Mary’s University student who is 18 years of age or older, or who is legally emancipated has the opportunity to identify an individual(s) to be contacted by Public Safety or the vice president for student life whenever circumstances indicate that the student may be missing or otherwise endangered. If the student is under 18 years of age and is not emancipated, the university is required to make any missing student notification to the custodial parent(s) or guardian(s).
Any reports of a missing student should be directed to the Department of Public Safety in person or by telephone at 301-447-5357. An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the student being reported missing will be promptly initiated by Public Safety and the Office of Residence Life. Nothing herein shall prohibit the investigation of a report of a student missing before a specific amount time has elapsed.
Investigative steps may include but are not limited to:
Upon receipt of a credible missing student report, Public Safety will notify the appropriate law enforcement authority as soon as practicable. If a reported missing student is not located within 24 hours of the initial report the university is required by law to contact the appropriate law enforcement authority. Nothing herein shall prohibit the prompt notification of the appropriate law enforcement authority of a report of a student missing in fewer than 24 hours. Once Public Safety and/or appropriate law enforcement authority has been notified and makes a determination that the student reported is indeed missing, the vice president for student life or his/her designee shall initiate the emergency contact procedure using the student’s designated emergency contacts. Following notification of appropriate law enforcement authority, the university will cooperate in the investigation and offer assistance necessary to locate a missing student.
Call 301-447-5357
To ensure campus safety, Mount St. Mary's University requires specific driver qualifications to be met for individuals who operate university equipment. The Vehicle Operator Policy sets forth the requirements applicable to all drivers of Mount St. Mary’s University owned, leased or rented vehicles or of personal vehicles while on university business. The policy is intended to ensure the safety of drivers, passengers and the public, as well as to minimize losses, damages and claims against the university.
Driving a Mount St. Mary’s University owned, leased or rented vehicle is a privilege and the university reserves the right to deny or revoke the driving privileges of any driver in the event that the driver does not meet the requirements of this policy. This policy applies to all parties to whom the university grants the privilege of operating a university owned, leased or rented vehicle. All parties must complete a driver authorization process determined by the Department of Public Safety prior to operating a university vehicle. Contact the Department of Public Safety to initiate the driver authorization process.
For staff/admin/faculty only. Visit FMX at msmary.gofmx.com and create a work order, using the drop down menu for key requests. Use the drop down menus to complete your request. You will need to specify if you would like your key to be delivered in inter-office mail, or if you would like to pick up your key at Package Pickup.
Visit FMX at msmary.gofmx.com and select Transportation Requests, then “new transportation request.” Use the drop down menus to complete your request.
Visit FMX at msmary.gofmx.com and select the Public Safety tab. Here you can report a Lost or Found item. If you find an item, it can be delivered to Public Safety. If the found item was lost/found at the ARCC, please see Issue and Control at the ARCC for that item. Public Safety will not accept clothing or wet items.