VCUarts Qatar Building Access Rules
VCUarts Qatar building access rules are established for the safety and security of students, faculty, staff and visitors. VCUarts Qatar wants to assure students and their parents that the safest possible environment is provided in which students can enjoy their education.
General Student Access
- The VCUarts Qatar building is considered open to VCUarts Qatar students 24 hours a day, 7 days a week (unless conditions require closure, in which case signs will be posted).
- While students will show IDs to enter the building, students should carry their VCUarts Qatar student ID at all times when at Education City. Students should provide their VCUarts Qatar ID if asked by a security guard.
- Security guards, when requested, will open doors to classrooms for students to work on projects with proof of prior authorization after hours. Security guards will not unlock doors to allow students access to offices, electrical or mechanical rooms, custodial storage rooms, the Bookstore, Technology Services rooms, the Libraries or FabLab spaces.
- While in the building, students should report any incidents (injuries, suspicious activity, plumbing issues, etc.) immediately to the security guards on duty.
Visitor Access
- All visitors MUST sign in at the main Security Desk, present a photo ID and receive a visitor badge. The photo ID will be retained by Security until the visitor leaves the building. If a visitor does NOT have a photo ID, he/she will not be allowed in the building, except as noted below.
- Visitors meeting the above requirement are allowed in the building during normal building hours: 8 am to 5 pm, Sunday through Thursday or with employee escort (see point 4).
- Vendors (travel agents, office supply sales persons, hotel representatives, etc.) are not allowed in the building without an appointment. The vendor must provide Security with the name of the VCUarts Qatar person with whom they are scheduled to meet, the VCUarts Qatar person’s phone number and the time of the scheduled meeting. Security will call the VCUarts Qatar person with whom the meeting is scheduled.
- Outside the hours of 8am to 5pm, Sunday through Thursday, visitors will only be allowed if they meet the above requirements and they have an appointment with faculty or staff. (Security will call the faculty or staff member for approval prior to admitting the visitor and the faculty or staff member must come to Security desk to meet the visitor.) or if prior arrangement has been made for the visitor through a faculty or staff member and that faculty or staff member has left a letter of approval for the visitor with Security.
- No visitors are allowed in the building after 12am. After 12am only VCUarts Qatar students, faculty and staff are allowed in the building (until 8 am the following morning).
- Anyone coming to pick up a student or deliver something to a student at any time must wait at Security for the student to come to the Security Desk.
Exceptions
- When there are events within the building such as conferences, films, lectures, when there are considerable VCUarts Qatar faculty and staff and/or additional Security present to oversee the event and there are a considerable number of members of the general public and Education City community, as well as VCUarts Qatar students attending the event.
- Community Class participants: class lists for Community Class participants will be provided to Security and Community Class participants must show photo ID to the security guards and have their name checked off the class list each week. They need not give their ID to Security.
- Education City and QF faculty, staff and students: EC and QF faculty, staff and students will be allowed into VCUarts Qatar upon showing ID Sunday through Thursday between the hours of 8am and 9pm. Outside these days and hours, the above rules apply.
Access during Emergencies
- Emergencies are defined as fire, smoke, chemical spill, power outage or similar events that are potentially dangerous to occupants.
- In the event of fire, smoke or chemical spill, the building will be evacuated at the direction of the VCUarts Qatar Chief Safety Officer (CSO) (or designee) or QF's Health, Security, Safety and Environment (HSSE) Department. The building should not be re-entered by anyone until the building is deemed to be safe by QF HSSE and permission to enter is given by the VCUarts Qatar CSO (or designee).
- In the event of a power outage, after consultation by the VCUarts Qatar CSO (or designee) with QF HSSE and QF Operations & Maintenance, the building may be closed until the power is restored. If the building is closed due to a power outage, no one except Security and VCUarts Qatar and QF Facilities and Procurement staff will be allowed in the building for safety and security reasons.
Security Considerations in the Maintenance of Campus Facilities
Facilities and landscaping are maintained in a manner to minimize hazardous conditions. The maintenance of the campus is the responsibility of Qatar Foundation's Mechanical and Electrical (M&E) Department. Qatar Foundation's HSSE department reports to M&E, in writing, conditions that could be hazardous. Additionally, lighting is monitored by Qatar Foundation HSSE officers and any lights that may not be working are reported to the M&E Department. Problems reported by visitors, students, faculty, staff, custodians, are sent to Qatar Foundation's HSSE Department for action.
Enforcement Authority of Campus Security
Qatar Foundation is responsible for campus security. Qatar Foundation's HSSE Department has authority for security officers working on campus. Security officers are comprised of Qatar Foundation employees as well as contracted security officers assigned to Education City as a part of a third party contract with Tayseer Services. Qatar Foundation's HSSE Department and the contracted guard service has authority for ensuring compliance with applicable Education City protocols, but does not have the authority to arrest individuals who violate State of Qatar laws. The HSSE Security Office does have a relationship with State of Qatar Law Enforcement Officials whereby Qatari police and investigators can be brought in for investigation of criminal offences that allegedly occur within Education City.
Timely Warning Notices – Crime and Safety Alerts
To inform the community on crime and/or safety issues, VCUarts Qatar's Dean, working with the VCUarts Qatar Crisis Management Team and in conjunction with Qatar Foundation's HSSE Director, will issue alerts to ensure that students, faculty and staff are made aware of serious crimes. Members of the community who know of a crime or other serious incident are encouraged to report the incident as soon as possible to university administrators so that the appropriate type of alert can be issued, if warranted. “Crime Alerts” are issued to advise the community about individual crimes against persons (e.g., an assault or robbery) or a series of crimes against property (e.g., multiple office thefts or burglaries in residence areas) in which the university itself or a member of the university community is a victim. University administrators work closely with individuals reporting serious crimes to ensure a victim’s privacy while also ensuring that the community has adequate information regarding potential risks.
These crime alerts will typically be issued through a posting to VCUarts Qatar email distributions lists. In addition, as warranted by the emergency, the VCUarts Qatar Internal Calling Tree will be activated, whereby individuals will receive an SMS on their mobile phone alerting them that the Calling Tree has been activated and an email and/or telephone call with full details will be arriving shortly and to stand by. Also the emergency SMS system can be used to issue short detailed instructions to the community during an emergency for individuals to follow (e.g., shelter in place and do not leave the building).
Crime Prevention Education and Awareness
All new faculty and staff, upon arrival to their assignment at the Qatar campus, experience a new employee orientation that includes a security and awareness presentation by the HSSE Department and the Human Resources Department covering a broad spectrum of issues. Included in the presentation are specific recommendations applicable to living and working within Education City and the State of Qatar.
Given the social and cultural mores of the people of the Middle East and the State of Qatar, the approach on the part of VCUarts Qatar differs somewhat from the VCU Monroe Park or MCV campuses. Rather than offering public programs and workshops, the Office of Student Affairs offers opportunities for counseling and discourse by means of private educational sessions and counseling to students on various personal health and wellness matters ranging from drug and substance abuse to sexual harassment and personal safety.