Residential Life

Safety and Security

Every member of the community must stay alert and aware to make Brown safer for everyone.

Breadcrumb

Safety and Security

Every member of the community must stay alert and aware to make Brown safer for everyone.

Here are some common sense tips to help you keep Brown safe:

  • Keep the door to your room locked at all times. Any time you leave your room, make sure your door is locked behind you. Leaving your door unlocked, even just to go down the hall to take a shower, leaves your room unprotected.
  • Keep the exterior door to your residence hall locked at all times. Do not prop the door open, and do not allow others to "tailgate" into the residence hall behind you.
  • If you lose your key(s), report it immediately. Leaving your door unlocked, or leaving your roommate's key "hidden" somewhere you can both use it is quite a security risk. The Residential Life staff can spot the common "hiding" places; so can someone who wants to break into your room.
  • Do not walk alone at night. Use the safeRIDE shuttle, SafeWalk or walk with friends. If you feel you are being followed when walking, go to an Emergency Phone (look for the blue light above it) and push the button to call Public Safety immediately.
  • Report all crimes. If you witness, discover or are the victim of any crime, call Public Safety immediately (401-863-4111).

Personal Safety

Blue Light Phones

Nearly every residence hall has an emergency telephone on the outside of the building near a front door. There are also such phones on building exteriors and on free-standing poles throughout campus.

These phones can be used for calling any on-campus extension. The connection lasts for three minutes. A Braille marking has been added to phones to facilitate use by sight impaired community members. If the emergency phone outside of your building is not working correctly, please report it immediately by dialing 0 from another phone.

In an Emergency

Pushing the RED button on the phone will connect you directly to Brown Public Safety 24 hours a day. When the RED button is pushed, the location of the activated phone will display in public safety and an officer will be dispatched to that location. These phones are identified by a blue light overhead so that they can be located easily.

Confidential Contact Registration

Learn more about how to confidentially register a Missing Student Confidential Contact

Confidential Contact Registration

Property Protection

The University is not responsible for the personal property of residents. This includes items in rooms, in storage, being delivered on a student's behalf, en route or under any circumstances. Rooms in Brown's residence halls are not equipped with room safes, and storage in on-campus residence halls is not offered. Visit Brown Student Agencies for storage alternatives. It is each student's responsibility to secure personal property during recess periods.

Property Insurance

We strongly recommend that all students have adequate personal property insurance to cover their belongings in the residence halls. A parent's homeowner or tenant insurance may provide coverage; check the language of the policy to see if you need to add a rider. You can also arrange personal property insurance through a private agency, usually for a very reasonable cost. Some additional information is available through Brown's Office of Insurance and Risk.

Bicycle Safety

If you bring a bike or a scooter to campus, register it with the Department of Public Safety (DPS). Watch out for bicycle registration events on the Main Green held each semester or call 401-863-1438 to set up an appointment. A solid steel, horseshoe-type lock (not a cable) is recommended to prevent theft.

When parked outside buildings, bicycles should be secured to bike racks provided. Locking bicycles/scooters to handrails or on ramps impedes entrance and exit from buildings, particularly for community members with mobility disabilities. Please be considerate.