Personal Safety
First Aid Kits
Is there one in your area? Where is it? Is it marked? How do I order a refill?
More InformationCPR/First Aid Training
Coordinated by EH&S
Cost for UCF employees, free for students via RWC
Working Late: You
Let someone else know that you’re there and when you will be leaving
- If you are in your office after hours, is your area 100% secure? Could people still get in and out?
- Be aware of your surroundings (who is here, who isn’t); close your door.
- For an escort to your car or across campus, call SEPS (Safe Escort Patrol Service): (407) 823-2424 (7pm – 1am) or (407) 823-5555 (after 1am).
Working Late: Students
Set rules/policy about students having office access after-hours
- Are they authorized/approved to have after-hours access? For what reasons? To what can they have access? Can anyone else accompany them (during the work day or after-hours)?
- Are they using a key or pass-code that is not recorded anywhere? (All keys are issued to one individual, and if that person shares it, the other names must be connected to the key inventory.)
Disgruntled Student/Employee
Police presence
As needed or requested, a police officer can be present for particularly troubling or sensitive interactions that you know in advance may require police presence or assistance. Call 407-823-5555 to arrange for either a plain-clothes or uniformed officer to be present. They are willing to either sit in the room or in an adjoining room (visible or not visible).
Documentation
Keep documentation for yourself, both personally and officially. You can use this to show and prove patterns of behavior. If you request or involve the university police, request that the police take a report.
For students, also refer to “Student Care Services/Student in Crisis”
Dealing with Complaints: Listen, Consult, Follow-up
- Listen
- Apologize for their difficulty. You’re not taking their side, you are just acknowledging it.
- There is rarely a need to provide an immediate solution
- Need to get both sides (or all sides) of the story
- If they come to you with “but you can’t tell x I said anything,” make it clear that in order for you to do anything you must speak with x or they need to understand that their complaint will stop with you.
- Consult: What action/resolution do you seek from me?
- Did the student know what was expected of him/her?
- Don’t take it personally
- Keep notes (who, when, where, what)
- Something doesn’t feel right? Trust your instincts.
- Follow-Up: Say what you’ll do and do what you say
- Always follow-up in writing
- A brief note to the student after you meet, summarizing the conversation and what you said you’ll do
- Copy any final resolution regarding a grade or grievance to the dean’s office
Some problems require a more formal intervention or process: follow-up with others as needed
- Office of Student Conduct (cheating, plagiarism, research misconduct, etc.)
- Victim Services (bullying, hazing, rape, cyber-stalking, etc.)
- Student Accessibility Services (learning, physical, emotional, etc. disability)
- UCF Crisis Committee (student engaging in suicidal, threatening, etc. behavior)
- Counseling Center (follow-up and long-term services)
- Legal Counsel (if student secures legal representation, refer issue to General Counsel)
Code Words: I Need Assistance…
Everyone should know these code words, so anyone within the office can respond. The person you call should make him/herself present to you and whomever you are dealing with.
Watch code word:
If used, this means that you don’t feel comfortable and want someone else to know.
Emergency word:
If used, this means you need someone to call the police/911.
In Practice
Think about the sentence you would use – what you would say – to indicate you need assistance. You should be comfortable with how you relay this request.
For example: “I need to cancel Watch Code Word’s appointment, can you give Watch Code Word a call for me?” or “I need to ask a question of Emergency Word, do you know if Emergency Word is available?”
If you have to refer to a real person or thing named “Watch Code Word” or “Emergency Word”, let the recipient of your call know that you are not using the code word, or, if you can, relay that message in person.