Security and Personal Safety

The personal safety and security of all Physician Assistant students, faculty and staff are very important. Please observe the following policies regarding activities in the Gerald L. Francis Center facility:

1. Routine hours at the Francis Center are 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday.
2. Currently enrolled Elon School of Health Sciences program students have 24-hour access to the Francis Center.  Before 7am and after 6pm, students must use Phoenix Card swipe access to enter.  Card swipes are located next to the front and side doors.  After hours on business days, on weekends and holidays, access to the classrooms and general use areas of the Gerald L. Francis Center facility is available on a limited basis to all Elon students.
3. The doors to the building and the program suites are to remain locked after hours.  Do not prop the door open for anyone.
4. When leaving a secured access room (lock box code access), turn off the lights as well as any appliances, computers or other audiovisual equipment that has been used and make certain the door is closed securely behind you to prevent unauthorized access.
5. Following use, restore the area to original order, ready for routine business use the next day, including proper disposal of trash.

The Office of Campus Safety and Police patrol the campus every day of the year. The office also administers the university’s parking program, sponsors educational programming for the campus community related to safety and security issues, provides an escort service, administers the Operation ID program in which student property can be engraved for identification purposes, and is the campus lost and found location. The office works in very close cooperation with the Elon Police Department and the staff of the Division of Student Life.

Campus Safety and Police reminds students that the best security system is one in which every member of the community is alert. This means, among other things, that students should remember to lock their car doors and take their keys with them, to not go anywhere alone at night, and to report all suspicious persons immediately to the Office of Campus Safety and Police.

For emergency assistance dial 911; for non-emergency assistance, dial (336) 278-5555 from personal phones or 5555 from campus phones. Security and safety policies for the entire campus can be found in Elon University’s 2023-2024 Student Handbook

Fire/Disaster Drills: All students, faculty, and staff are to respond to all fire alarms by evacuating the Francis Center and reporting to the parking lot on the west side of     the building. Students, faculty, and staff are requested to close doors as they are leaving an area, to help contain any fire.

Never open or exit through emergency exit doors except in an emergency as this can result in emergency personnel being activated. No one is allowed to go back into the building as they are exiting or after they have exited until the building is cleared for entry by appropriate personnel.

First Aid Kits are located in the Anatomy Laboratory (146) and in the PA Clinical Skills lab (131).

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is located outside the student lounge area on the first floor of the Gerald Frances Center.

A fire extinguisher is located:

1. In the hallway outside room 227
2. In the hallway outside of the DPTE Anatomy laboratory (room 146)
3. In the hallway across from the Neuro/Peds Skills Lab (Room 106) past room 107
4. In the hallway across from the lockers/showers (Room 136)
5. In the hallway between rooms 130 and 132
6. In the hallway outside of room 152
7. In the hallway outside of room 158
8. In the hallway between offices 100T and 100S

Pull alarms are conveniently located throughout the Francis Center. Locations are:

1. In the second-floor lobby next to the water fountain
2. By the emergency exit on the north side of the building (next to room 132)
3. By the emergency exit on the east side of the building (next to room 156)
4. By the west entrance/exit to the building (faculty/staff/student entrance)
5. By the south entrance/exit to the building (main entrance)
6. By the emergency exit in the DPTE faculty offices (between room 100O and 100)

Formaldehyde spill kits are located in the Anatomy Laboratory prep room (146A).

In the event of an impending hurricane or tornado, everyone is advised to seek shelter in an interior room away from outside walls and windows. A crouched position is the best position to remain in until danger has completely passed. Do not let the calm in the eye of a hurricane mislead you into believing the danger is over.

Safety alerts are available via E-Alert:

https://www.elon.edu/u/fa/police/emergency/e-alert/

Classroom/Laboratory Safety

The Elon University DPAS abides by the classroom and laboratory policies and procedures documented in the DPTE Safety Manual.  Copies of the Safety Manual are kept in the Student Lounge and available via Moodle. In the unlikely event an injury occurs within one of the classrooms or laboratories, the procedures written in the manual will be implemented. Additional safety procedures specific to the Human Donor Lab will be kept in the Anatomy Lab along with a notebook of Material Safety and Data Sheets (MSDS).

Safety and Security: Off-Campus Sites

Students, faculty, and clinical preceptors are responsible for ensuring that appropriate security and personal safety measures are addressed in all locations where instruction occurs. It is every student’s responsibility to read and observe policies on safety and security for each and every institution that they are assigned or enter. Students, faculty, and clinical preceptors should report site-related security or safety concerns immediately to the appropriate emergency personnel (if necessary) and notify the Director of Clinical Education once the situation is stable.