Howard University Department of Public Safety

Attention, Bison family!

Due to inclement weather, Howard University has updated its operational and instructional status for Friday, Jan 19 to "REMOTE OPERATIONS."

Stay safe and warm. For more details about our current operating and instructional status, visit Howard.edu/operations.
 

   

Operational Status for Tuesday, January 16

The University’s main and west campuses are closed to all non-essential personnel. Only critically essential personnel are expected to be on campus. Please contact your supervisor if further clarification is needed.

Auxiliary Services :

*The cafeterias will open at 10 a.m. and will be accessible for brunch and dinner.

*The mailroom will open at 11 a.m.

*The bookstore will open at 11 a.m. 

*University libraries and i-labs are closed.

*WHUR and WHUT will continue their usual hours of operation.

Please view the shuttle app for real time information on the updated schedule, as the shuttle buses cannot operate if local road conditions are hazardous.

Please

Operational Status for Tuesday, January 16

The University’s main and west campuses are closed to all non-essential personnel. Only critically essential personnel are expected to be on campus. Please contact your supervisor if further clarification is needed.

Auxiliary Services :

*The cafeterias will open at 10 a.m. and will be accessible for brunch and dinner.

*The mailroom will open at 11 a.m.

*The bookstore will open at 11 a.m. 

*University libraries and i-labs are closed.

*WHUR and WHUT will continue their usual hours of operation.

Please view the shuttle app for real time information on the updated schedule, as the shuttle buses cannot operate if local road conditions are hazardous.

Please

please be aware of DC’s newly mandated curfew that goes into effect after midnight for minors aged 16 and under.

Please exercise good judgment and Bison SAFE best practices and traveling or gathering outside of the Plaza Towers, Trellis House, and Georgia Ave corridor.

All Bison are encouraged to sign up for Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) training. What do we do, where do we go, and how do we protect others in an emergency situation? Natural and man-made disasters can wreak havoc on life and property, but not if you are Bison SAFE with the tools for effective planning and response. Join us!

and HUDPS are aware of area youth assembling near the 900 block of Sherman Ave., NW. Please avoid the area while officials investigate and enforce city guidance on the timing and type of this gathering.

Students and families who arrive to the campus during the severe weather event will be allowed to shelter safely in their respective designated residence halls until the event has ended but will not be allowed to carry items to rooms during the storm. Bison who are unable to move in today will be properly accommodated early tomorrow morning.

We ask all students and guests to prepare for extended sheltering during the course of the storm activity, which will significantly limit foodservice access and delivery, ride sharing, and transit availability throughout the city until 9 pm. We encourage all community members to avoid traveling around campus and surrounding areas during this weather event. Please stay clear of construction areas and temporary fences, watch out for flying debris and avoid trees with loose branches and unsecured structures and equipment.

The National Weather Service has issued a thunderstorm warning for today, August 7, for the Washington metropolitan area beginning at approximately 4pm.

Isolated showers are expected during high-volume afternoon drive time, with damaging winds, hail, and potential tornado activity.

The Department of Public Safety and Division of Student Affairs is actively monitoring forecasts and guidance from municipal and federal weather service agencies, and has determined that severe weather will present unsafe conditions during Bison move-in. If weather changes as expected, we will suspend move-in activity for the remainder of the day for all students and families.

Students and families who arrive to the campus during the severe weather event will be allowed to shelter in their respective designated residence halls until the event has ended, but will not be allowed to carry items to rooms during the storm. If the storm has not ended by 8pm, move-in activities will resume at 10am on August 8.

Please note that Bison who have not yet departed for campus are encouraged to make alternative travel and move-in plans.

We remind all community members to be safe and to exercise caution while traveling around campus and surrounding areas during this weather event. Please stay clear of construction areas and temporary fences, watch out for flying debris and avoid trees with loose branches and unsecured structures and equipment.

Researchers should complete or properly save any experiments planned for work tomorrow. As local power outages are possible, employees should save any unsaved documentation. You are also asked to power down or unplug any sensitive or key equipment or other devices that may be impacted by a surge in power.

We will continue to monitor the forecasts and provide necessary updates on any operational or schedule changes. Please remain safe.

For more information or to submit a campus safety concern, please contact the Department of Public Safety (DPS) at 202-806-1100.

Welcome home Bison! Move-in begins on Monday, Aug. 7. Get all of the information you need for safe travel to the campus, avoiding long lines and discovering the campus.

Check out publicsafety.howard.edu/move-in for more information!

Increased safety infrastructure, historic engagement with federal and municipal safety organizations, and a heart for serving the Howard community. These things and more are what make Police Chief Marcus Lyles a finalist for executive of the year award.

“That's the most rewarding part of this job and this opportunity for our entire department to be recognized.” - Marcus Lyles.

Read the full story at thedig.howard.edu

will emphasize and case coordination support in emergency management through a $203,000 federal grant announced last week by the .

The University is one of four historically Black institutions to receive more than $1 million in the latest round of funding under the Project School Emergency Response to Violence (SERV) initiative.

The HU Department of Public Safety will use the funding to hire officials dedicated to wellness visits and service coordination for stakeholders impacted by violence, and a full-time emergency management training expert dedicated to campus readiness in active threat and crisis scenarios.

"We appreciate the support of the Biden Administration in providing valuable resources to ensure mental wellness for students and employees affected by terroristic bomb threats," said Tashni Dubroy, Howard University Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "Nothing can return the hours of lost sleep and weeks of investigations. Our community members will always feel the impact of deep-rooted emotions being triggered by threats of being bombed in places where we work and live. But, we are honored to lead in helping people manage the lasting trauma of these events."

The SERV program was established in 2004 to give public support to institutions and school districts recovering from traumatic events such as school shootings or natural disasters.

"Our Department, in conjunction with municipal and federal partnering safety agencies, has responded to eight threats since 2022, including three in the most recent academic year," said Marcus Lyles, Executive Director of Campus Safety and Chief of Police. "Being able to support the work of our first responders with expanded mental health services is the first and major step in our growing partnership with the Department of Education to eliminate violence in all forms in spaces committed to teaching and learning."