Campus Safety

USF makes every effort to provide a safe and secure environment conducive to living, learning, and working on campus. We encourage conversations with your student regarding safety on campus.

Family Conversation Starters:

“What are your most prized valuables and what is your plan to secure them?”

“Have you registered your bike?”

Bike registration helps USF Police identify your student as the correct owner in the event of theft.

“What is your plan for personal safety on and off campus?”

“What is our plan in the event of a hurricane at USF or in our hometown?”

Emergency Management The Department of Emergency Management (EM) coordinates activities to protect, prevent and mitigate against; respond to; and recover from disasters and emergencies affecting USF. Emergency Management provides a unified approach to all public safety and emergency resources, provides effective and timely communications between all safety units, and serves as USF’s single point of contact and management for emergency and crisis situations. Learn more at usf.edu/administrative-services/ emergency-management/index.aspx

Hurricanes Hurricane season is from June 1 through November 30. We highly encourage families and students to design a plan so that you are prepared should a storm impact the Tampa Bay area, State of Florida, or a community that your student calls home. Please visit usf.edu/em for the campus hurricane guide and other campus safety initiatives

University Police (USFPD) USFPD is dedicated to providing a safe environment for and in partnership with the community. USF’s highly trained police officers are very sensitive to the needs of our students and strive to establish relationships based on trust and mutual problem solving. They also offer a number of educational programs, including self-defense, bicycle registration, crime alerts, and theft prevention to empower the USF community in personal safety, home, and property security plans. Learn more about the USFPD by visiting usf.edu/police.

SAFE Team SAFE Team is an on-campus safety escort program supported and operated by Student Government on the Tampa campus. Students can call 813-974-SAFE to have an escort accompany them by foot or golf cart to their destination (while classes are in session, from 6:30pm until 2:00am). Students may encounter a short wait until the phone dispatcher is available and may encounter wait times for their escort depending on the call volume.

SAFE Team offers students safe rides home through UBER, which can be utilized while supplies last. For more information about SAFE Team and their offerings, visit usf.edu/student-affairs/studentgovernment/services/safe-team.aspx

Blue Light Emergency Telephones The Blue Light Emergency Telephones located throughout campus connect callers directly to the USFPD and automatically indicate the location of the caller. A student can activate a phone at any one of the blue light locations on campus and report their emergency to the USFPD Communications Center.