Office of Public Safety

Ringling College Office of Public Safety

A professional staff of uniformed Public Safety Officers is on campus 24 hours a day.

Their efforts are supplemented by state-of-the-art locks on all outside residence hall doors, well-lit campus and parking facilities, and a variety of personal and property protection programs offered to interested students. The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (The Jeanne Clery Report) contains all campus-related crime, crime prevention, fire safety and security related information about the Ringling College Campus.

Parents always have concerns about the safety of their students attending college, especially if the student is far from home. Ringling College of Art and Design understands that concern. The mission of the Office of Public Safety is to enable our students to enjoy their years at Ringling College as free as possible from threats to their safety and well-being. Ringling College is a college community of more than 1,500 students, faculty and staff in Sarasota, a city with more than 54,000 residents. As a part of the larger community, Ringling College shares many of the same interests and problems, including a concern about crime. In a continuing effort to keep Ringling College as safe as possible, the Office of Public Safety maintains a professionally trained staff that works closely with a competent Residence Life staff, as well as with students, faculty, and staff which make up the campus community. While no campus is 100% crime-free, those crimes reported have been relatively few and generally minor in nature.

Ringling College strives to provide a safe and secure environment for students, faculty, staff, and visitors. The Office of Public Safety encourages and solicits the assistance and cooperation of the entire campus community in our attempt to make the campus a safe place to work, live, and play. In addition to around-the-clock patrol and protective services, our trained professional public safety staff will provide, upon request, crime prevention and safety awareness programs. I encourage you to take the time to read and use the information provided in this web site as part of your responsibility in creating a safe environment for yourself and others on campus.

Emergency Procedures

Ringling College and the Office of Public Safety make every effort to ensure that the Ringling College community is aware of weather warnings and emergencies as they are issued. In the event of campus emergency, Ringling College has established a multi-phased emergency notification system to alert the campus community in a matter of seconds through cell phone, text message, landline, voicemail, and email.

During a campus emergency, you can always refer to our alerts page for updates.

We work together to keep campus safe

Exterior Lighting

Exterior lighting is an important part of Ringling College's commitment to campus safety and security. The campus is well-lit, but in an ongoing effort to maintain a safe environment, further lighting improvements are periodically made to parking areas, pedestrian walkways and building exteriors. Surveys of exterior lighting on campus are conducted by Public Safety officers on a regular basis, and the Facilities Operations department gives high priority to the repair and replacement of exterior lighting as needed. Members of the campus community are encouraged to report any exterior lighting deficiencies to the Office of Public Safety.

Maintenance + Security

Public Safety officers secure the exterior doors on campus buildings following the last class each evening. Door and locking hardware deficiencies are reported by these officers upon discovery. Shrubbery and trees on campus are trimmed on a regular basis to enhance visibility.

Most campus buildings and facilities, other than student residence halls, are accessible to members of the campus community, their guests and visitors during normal hours of business, and during designated hours on weekends and holidays depending on the wide variety of events and activities taking place outside the normal business hours.

Individual Responsibility

The cooperation and involvement of students, faculty and staff in a campus safety program is absolutely necessary. All individuals must assume responsibility for their personal safety and the security of their personal belongings by taking simple, common sense precautions. For example, although the campus is well-lit, anyone, male or female, may feel more comfortable requesting escort service when returning to residence halls, or when leaving campus and going to a vehicle in the parking lot or on a nearby street. The service is provided by the Office of Public Safety during the hours of darkness by calling 941.359.7500. Residence hall room doors should be kept locked and office doors should be secured when not occupied. Valuable items, such as stereos, cameras, and televisions, should be marked with engraving instruments which can be provided by the Office of Public Safety at no charge. Bicycles should be registered with the Office of Public Safety and secured with a sturdy lock. (Krypton-type locks are recommended.)

 

Students, faculty and staff should have their vehicles registered with the Office of Public Safety. Vehicles should be kept locked at all times and valuables stored in the trunk.

 

Everyone should be alert to unusual or suspicious persons or activities and immediately report these incidents to the Office of Public Safety at 941.359.7500.

Crime Prevention

The Ringling College Office of Public Safety knows it's better to prevent crimes than to react to them. A primary vehicle for accomplishing this goal is the Public Safety's crime prevention program. This program is based on the concepts of eliminating or minimizing criminal opportunities and encouraging students, faculty and staff to be responsible for their security and the security of others.

The following crime prevention programs and projects are employed by Ringling College:

  • The Personal Safety Escort Program provides escorts for persons walking on campus or traveling from the campus to the parking areas during hours of darkness when personal safety is a concern.
  • New Student Orientation, a crime prevention program accompanied by brochures and videos, is presented as a part of orientation at the start of each academic year.
  • Facilities Surveys, a program designed to identify and correct deficiencies in exterior lighting, locking hardware and safety of the grounds, is conducted by the Office of Public Safety on an ongoing basis.
  • Operation Identification at Ringling College, the national program of engraving serial numbers or owner recognized numbers on computers, bicycles and other valuable items, is coordinated by the Office of Public Safety. Engravers are made available to members of the campus community free of charge.
  • Rape Awareness, Education and Prevention the Office of Student Life, in conjunction with the Office of Public Safety, local law enforcement and other agencies, provides programs on rape awareness, education and prevention during orientation and throughout the year.

Faculty, staff and students are encouraged to report any type of safety or security hazard to public safety by using our Safety Hazard Form.

Bicycle & Vehicle Registration

Your vehicles must be registered to park on campus. Please fill out the appropriate form for your car or bicycle and submit to the Office of Public Safety.

Bicycle Policy (PDF)

These regulations are provided to ensure the safety of drivers, pedestrians and property, as well as provide adequate parking for all who drive a vehicle on the campus of Ringling College of Art and Design. A parking and traffic plan can be successful only when all persons—faculty, staff, students and visitors—abide by the regulations.

Each student, faculty or staff member of Ringling College who brings a vehicle onto campus must register it with the Office of Public Safety. All persons registering or driving motor vehicles on Ringling College property are responsible for knowing the rules and regulations governing traffic and parking.

Please Note:
Generally, first year students residing on campus are not allowed to keep a car or other vehicle on campus. Students who can demonstrate a compelling need can request an exception. All exceptions must be approved. For more information on the process, please contact studentlife@ringling.edu. Please know that Ringling College has a car and bike check-out program, and all students can ride the local bus service (SCAT/MCAT) for free with their Student ID.

Definitions:

  1. Motor Vehicle - Every vehicle which is self-propelled and has two or more wheels.
  2. Student - Any person registered at Ringling College for one or more credit hours.
  3. Faculty and Staff - Full-time or part-time faculty, administrative officials and employees of the College.
  4. University Property - All property owned by Ringling College.

Motor Vehicle Registration:

  1. All vehicles will be registered each year. No fee will be charged for parking permits. Students will be issued stick-on decals to be affixed to the outside of the rear window on the driver's side. Faculty and staff will be issued hang tags to be displayed on the rear-view mirror. Tickets will be issued to vehicles not properly displaying parking permits.
  2. Students are not permitted to use faculty/staff permits and or park in faculty staff parking spaces.
  3. Permits will be valid for one academic year and will expire each year on August 1.
  4. A vehicle registration form must be completed prior to issuance of any parking permit and the following information must be provided:
    1. Name and address (local and permanent, if student)
    2. Motor vehicle license number and vehicle description
  5. All motor vehicles brought to the campus by faculty, staff and students must be registered at the Office of Public Safety. Visitors and guests are not required to register vehicles.
  6. Faculty, staff and students who must use a vehicle other than one registered on campus will be issued temporary permits. Lost or stolen permits must be reported to the Office of Public Safety. Lost or stolen permits will be replaced and a fee of $10 per replacement permit will be charged.

    Student decals will be replaced free of charge when a vehicle is traded, sold or wrecked.

  7. The Office of Public Safety does not accept money for replacement decals or parking fines. Payment of fines or replacement decals will be made at the Business Office. Failure to pay for replacement decals or parking fines on a timely basis will result in transactions (grades, diplomas, transcripts, etc.) being withheld, admission being denied and/or loss of parking privileges.

Parking:

  1. Only those vehicles properly registered with the Office of Public Safety are authorized to park on property owned by Ringling College of Art and Design. The institution reserves the right to remove any vehicle on its property which is not properly registered. The institution also reserves the right to tow to a safe place, at the owner's expense, any vehicle parked in such a manner as to be considered to be a hazard, blocking a fire lane, or otherwise impeding vehicular or pedestrian traffic. The institution assumes no responsibility for damages incurred while moving said vehicles.
  2. The institution reserves the right to deny any person, for cause, the privilege of operating and/or parking a motor vehicle on college property. That denial may be made by the President of the College upon the request of any vice president, dean or the Director of Public Safety.
  3. The institution assumes no responsibility for losses from fire, theft, vandalism, or any other cause when cars are parked on college property.
  4. City and state driving and parking rules and regulations, and all directive signs governing the use of motor vehicles, must be observed at all times.
  5. Motor vehicles are to be kept in safe driving condition while on college property. In the event of mechanical failure of a vehicle, the Office of Public Safety should be notified. The owner of any disabled vehicle is responsible for its immediate removal.
  6. Persons lending vehicles to others are responsible for tickets issued.
  7. The transfer of student parking permits from one vehicle to another is not allowed.
  8. Upon accumulation of five (5) unpaid parking tickets, parking privileges may be revoked and the offending vehicle is subject to being towed from campus at the owner's expense.

Definition of Offenses

  1. Faculty/Staff Parking Only. Tickets will be issued to unauthorized persons parked in spaces reserved for faculty and staff west of and behind Selby Gallery and in the Goldstein Village Lot.
  2. Visitor Parking. Tickets will be issued to students, faculty and staff parked in spaces reserved for visitors.
  3. Reserved Spaces. Tickets will be issued to anyone parked any time in spaces reserved for the President, vice presidents, Business Office, Dean of Students and Assistant Dean of Students. Tickets will be issued to anyone who removes parking cones used to reserve spaces for visitors and/or special events.
  4. Fire Lane. Tickets will be issued to anyone parked in areas designated and marked as fire lanes.
  5. Not In a Marked Space. Tickets will be issued to anyone parked in areas of parking lots not clearly marked as parking spaces. Parking on grass is not allowed except in those grass lots designated for parking and violators will be ticked. Vehicles parked on sidewalks are subject to being towed at the owner's expense.
  6. No Parking Permit Visible. Tickets will be issued to unregistered vehicles used by students, faculty or staff. Registered vehicles without visible parking decals may be ticketed.

The Annual Security and Fire Safety Report (The Jeanne Clery Report)

Report an Anonymous Tip

The Ringling College of Art and Design community is encouraged to report any information regarding criminal activity on campus. The Secure Campus Anonymous Tip (SCAT) program is provided for those who wish to anonymously assist Public Safety in making ours a safer campus. SCAT tips go directly to the Director of Public Safety and will be used as informational and investigative tools in solving crimes on campus. Corroboration of all anonymous information will be required before any official action is taken against any member of the community.

Report immediately

All crimes and suspicious people should be reported to the Office of Public Safety immediately. The Public Safety Officers on duty may be contacted 24 hours per day by dialing 359-7500 (or extension 7500) or from a callbox on campus. Callers using phones other than College extension phones should dial 359-7500. Emergency situations may also be reported to the Sarasota Police Department by dialing 9-911 from any College extension phone.

Phone Numbers
Emergency: 941.359.7500
Non-emergency: 941.309.4121
Director’s Office: 941.351.4742
Email: jgilman1@c.ringling.edu