Safety Tips

No university can guarantee the safety of its students. It is therefore recommended that students exercise caution at all times. It is recommended that students avoid isolated areas and travel with others. Some other important safety tips include:

1. Do not walk, jog, or bike alone unless in well-populated areas.
2. Keep your room and apartment door locked at all times, whether or not you are present.
3. All exterior doors should be kept locked.
4. Do not allow others to “tailgate” into a secured building behind you.
5. Contact Duke University Police Department immediately, 911 or 684-2444, in the event of any incident that threatens safety or appears suspicious.
6. Become familiar with the locations of campus “Help” phones and use them if you need assistance of any kind.

Safe Rides are available to Duke employees and students to and from on-campus locations (where bus service is not available), and from campus to destinations within the service boundary. Contact 684-SAFE (684-7233) for this service. Duke escort services from 5 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.


All residence halls are locked 24 hours. The residence halls are equipped with:

• DukeCard readers that allow the residents to use their DukeCards to gain access.
• Electromagnetic locks on certain exterior doors that limit usage to emergency egress only.
• Exterior telephone with Telekey at main entry doors.
• All bathrooms are equipped with automatic locks and closers that keep the doors locked at all times, and that require residents to use issued keys or DukeCards to enter the bathrooms.
• All bedroom doors are equipped with door viewers.
• Residence hall windows that can be used to enter the building are equipped with window pins, security screens, or other devices intended to prevent entry.
• Lighting on the exterior of the residence halls is controlled by timers or photocells which automatically turn the lights on or off based on the natural light levels or day/ night hours. RLHS monitors the exterior lighting on and around the residence halls.

Please contact your Service Office and Hall Staff to report problems or to offer suggestions for residence hall safety and security features.

It is essential that you actively participate in making your house a safe and secure place for yourself and your fellow residents to live:

• Do not prop outside doors open. Close them if you find them propped.
• Do not allow people you do not know to follow you into your house. If they have a legitimate reason to be in your house, their DukeCard will let them in or they can use the phone equipped with Telekey.
• Do keep your bedroom door locked at all times - when you are there and when you are not.
• Do keep security screens latched at all times.
• Do immediately report a lost key to your Service Office.
• Do immediately report a lost DukeCard to the DukeCard Office (684-5800).
• Do immediately report doors that do not close and lock, lights that do not work, or any other security problem.
• Do report to Duke University Police the presence of strangers in your house.

Please contact your Service Office for more information, to report problems, to offer suggestions, or to discuss any security concerns you may have.