The University of Pittsburgh Police Department, Office of Residence Life, Panther Central and Housing Services work cooperatively to provide resident students with a safe and secure environment. It is important that students and staff work together to enhance the quality of life and safety in all University housing.
To accommodate graduate and undergraduate students during the academic year, the University maintains nearly 8,500 residential beds in a variety of spaces: residence halls, fraternity houses, apartment-style buildings and off-campus apartment buildings. Types of accommodations include singles, doubles, triples, quads, suites and apartments.
Most campus buildings—including housing facilities— contain card access systems; systems can be monitored by Pitt Police personnel. Pitt police officers are responsible for security within all resident living areas in their respective patrol areas, and they patrol on foot inside all residence halls, apartment-style buildings and University-owned housing.
Residence Hall Security
When you move into a residence hall, you receive information about campus safety and residence hall security, such as:
- whom to call in case of an emergency;
- what procedures to follow in case of a fire evacuation;
- what to do if you are locked out of your room;
- how to mark valuables;
- visitation, alcohol, and drug policies; and
- general campus safety, among other topics.
At your first floor meeting, which is mandatory and held by the resident assistant or community assistant, you can acquaint yourself with unique aspects of your residence hall community and the security practices you can follow to make your University environment safer.
Entrances to all residence halls have desks staffed by welcome attendants who control access 24 hours a day and seven days a week while school is in session. Each year, Pitt trains welcome attendants in University security and fire safety procedures.
In addition to welcome attendants, security doors at the entrances that are monitored by an electronic access system.
Residence Life Staff
- Area coordinators (ACs), resident directors (RDs), and more than 180 student staff (resident assistants (RAs) and community assistants (CAs) staff the living areas of the residence halls. RDs supervise the RAs.
- ACs and RDs undergo comprehensive training before and during each school year. This training includes how to handle various emergencies—psychological and medical, fire evacuation, reports of sexual misconduct, de-escalating training, disorderly conduct, reporting vandalism, etc.
- There is a residence life staff member on call 24 hours a day for the residence halls. RAs and RDs are on duty every evening, including weekends, while classes are in session, to assist students in any manner.
- Panther Central, located in the main Litchfield Towers lobby, 412-648-1100, is available 24 hours a day to assist you in contacting the residence life staff. Panther Central Express in the lobby of Sutherland Hall is available Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. RAs also provide security assistance within the building by touring their areas during the weekday evenings and on weekends.
Security Features in Students’ Rooms
Every accommodation within the residence hall has its own hard key lock or Panther Card access electronic lock. When using a key card, it is encoded for the student’s building and room only. The card is required to open the door. If using a key, the keys are coded with core numbers rather than room numbers so that a lost key cannot be identified with a particular room. Therefore, the University strongly advises that students do not attach their IDs to their keys. Residents also should lock their doors and windows at all times and carry their keys with them.
Campus telephones also are provided in each residence hall corridor.
University-owned Apartment Housing
The University operates 432 apartment units in north and central Oakland and Shadyside. University-owned apartment housing is occupied almost exclusively by Pitt students, primarily by graduate and professional school students and their families. All multi-unit buildings have a paging system for visitors, and most front doors lock electronically. Pitt Police and/or city police patrol University-owned apartment housing areas.
The Pitt Police and the Pittsburgh Police regularly share crime information as it relates to University-owned apartment housing.
Housing during Holidays and between Terms
Residence halls are closed during the winter recess with the exception of Lothrop, which accommodate 12-month housing students. NOTE: Pre-approved students who have signed a separate Winter Recess Housing contract may remain in their residence hall accommodation for winter recess. During holidays when the University is open, apartment-style on-campus housing also remains open. Pitt Police continue to patrol resident living areas. Students should attend to security needs during these periods, particularly the storage of any valuable items.