Public Safety Policies & Forms

The president of the university will decide if severe/hazardous weather conditions exist and warrant a delayed opening or a closing of the university. The seminary as a resident institution does not close because of severe/hazardous weather. A delay or closing of the university may include both classes and offices dependent upon the university's ability to hold hybrid/remote classes. The president will make the decision in consultation with the director of public safety, based on the following information:

• conditions of the university roadways and parking lots and the ability of physical plant staff to keep up with the storm
• conditions of local roadways and the ability of the state and county to keep the roads passable
• weather forecasts for the next 12 hours (according to the National Weather Service)
• state and/or county restrictions

• For storms occurring late at night or early in the morning, the decision to close or delay operations will be announced at approximately 5:30 a.m.
• The decision to cancel evening undergraduate and graduate classes will be made by the president before 3 p.m.

Severely changing weather conditions occasionally dictate that decisions be made at a later time or that a delay be extended. When severe weather is forecast, please monitor the designated TV and radio stations in your area, access the university website or call the University Weather Line at 301-447-5777 for updated information. All official university notifications and updates will be made through the MountAlert messaging system. 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 first priority.

Only essential personnel whose work cannot be performed remotely should report to work during a university delay or closing. Other 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 indicated, closings shall be effective at 8 a.m. on the day of the closing to coincide with the regular business day. In the event of a delay, emergency personnel and all physical plant 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., unless otherwise determined.

Scheduled public safety officers, residence life and designated physical plant employees are considered essential personnel. Although not considered essential services, the library, media center, computer labs 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. Nonessential personnel may be requested to work remotely to maintain essential business operations. 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. In the event of a delay or closing information on hours of operation for the library and the media center, including schedule adjustments, will be available through the university weather line at 301- 447-5777.

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. In such cases, faculty members should inform Public Safety of their class cancellations. This information will be added to the Mount Weather Line. The faculty member will be asked to provide the last four digits of his/her social security number. All employees, including those designated as essential, should notify their immediate supervisors prior to their scheduled shifts if they cannot report to work.

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.

Phase 1

Snow emergency roads and snow emergency walkways (as displayed on Snow Removal Map).

Phase 2

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.

Phase 3

Grotto. Residential properties. Secondary parking lots. Campus prepared for opening.

Phase 4

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.

Science labs have a separate delay schedule. Download the Science Lab Delay Schedule. Students will be notified of individual class cancellations by their professors via email/Canvas.

Science labs have a separate delay schedule. Download the Science Lab Delay Schedule. Students will be notified of individual class cancellations by their professors via email/Canvas.

Students will be notified of individual class cancellations by their professors via email/Canvas.

Students will be notified of individual class cancellations by their professors via email/Canvas.

Students will be notified of individual class cancellations by their professors via email/Canvas.

Students will be notified of individual class cancellations by their professors via email/Canvas.

Students

• Freshman / Sophomore Decal – Red Decal - Lot 12.
• Junior / Senior Decal – Yellow Decal - Lot 7, 10 or 12.
• Commuter Decal – Green Decal - Lot 7, 8, 10 or 12 .

Faculty / Staff

• Faculty and Staff shall park in their assigned lot.
• If the assigned lot is full when you arrive you may park in lots 7, 8, 10 or 12.

View Campus Map with Parking Assignments

Visitors

• Visitors will be assigned a lot when they register their vehicles at the Department of Public Safety.

Weekend Parking

• Friday at 5 p.m. to Sunday at 7 p.m.
• Weekend parking is open to all students in Lots 3, 5, 7, 8, 10, & 12 between Friday at 5 p.m. to Sunday at 7 p.m.
• All student vehicles must be returned to their assigned lots by Sunday at 7 p.m.
• If your vehicle is not moved by Sunday at 7 p.m. your vehicle will be subject to towing at your expense.

Parking restrictions are lifted from Friday at 5 p.m. through Sunday at 7 p.m. except for the following parking lots which are reserved 24/7:

• Terrace – Lot 1
• Tunnel – Lot 2
• Admissions – Lot 4
• Coad – Lot 6
• McGowan – Lot 9
• Seminary – Lot 11

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).

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.

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 Dean of Students 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:

1. Calling the student’s personal cell phone on record.
2. Entering the student’s residence hall room.
3. Checking class schedules and visiting scheduled classes.
4. Contacting faculty members regarding class absences
5. Contacting known friends, roommates, acquaintances, and place(s) of work, if any.
6. Checking vehicle registration records for vehicle information and searching the vicinity for any registered vehicles.
7. Checking MountCard records for purchase history and/or building access information.

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 Dean of Students 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.

To assure consistency in determining an operator’s fitness to drive a Mount vehicle, all operator’s MVR (motor vehicle records) are checked at the time of hire and when the driver's license history is periodically reviewed (approximately every two years):

Criteria

MVRs are separated into a four groups:

1. Clean – no violations or at fault accidents.
2. Acceptable – 2 minor violations or one at fault accident in past 3 years.
3. Marginal – 3 minor violations or 2 at fault accidents in past 3 years.
4. Unacceptable – Any major conviction in past 5 years, or violations or accidents in excess of the other criteria.

Type A. Major Convictions

• Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
  Reckless Driving/Excessive Speeding (30 mph over limit)
  Vehicular Homicide
  Assault with a motor vehicle
  Driving with a suspended license
  Eluding law enforcement
  Leaving the scene of an accident

Type B. At-Fault Accident

All accidents regardless of fault, unless the operator was fully stopped at the time of impact and struck from behind by another vehicle. Type C. Minor Violations.

All moving violations including exceeding posted limit regardless of the exceeded posted speed limit, Illegal/reckless lane change violations and red light offenses.

Criteria to Decline, Assign Probation, Re-assign, Terminate Privileges

Application of Policy

• Driving record criteria will be applied equally and in a non-discriminatory to all drivers.
• No person shall be allowed to operate a MSMU vehicle that has not provided a valid personal MVR and submitted said document to the Fleet Administrator for evaluation. The Fleet Administrator reserves the right to reject applications for driving privileges in the act of enforcing the driver qualification standards of the University.
• Current employees who are at Marginal status upon review will be required to attend a defensive driving course. Operators will not be allowed to drive until such course is completed.
• Persons who are or become placed into an unacceptable status may not drive a MSMU vehicle under any circumstances.