Campus Safety

You may check out a vehicle battery jump start kit at the Campus Safety Office to jump start your battery. The kit includes instructions and Campus Safety Officers are available to answer questions and provide support.

Campus Safety enforces nonacademic rules and regulations established by the College. They respond to emergency situations and contact the appropriate outside resources when necessary (police, EMTs, etc.). Campus Safety also handles reports of suspicious people on campus, and can issue trespass sanctions against individuals before calling the police. Officers conduct patrols of every space on campus either on foot or by vehicle regularly throughout the day and night, and they perform general welfare checks on students. All officers are trained in CPR, AED, blood-borne pathogens, first aid, and fire safety.

Bennington College students, faculty, and staff all have a role in ensuring the security of the community. Each person has a personal responsibility for creating an environment free from hate speech, physical violence, harassment, vandalism, and theft. The security of the College is not limited to the physical safety of community members and their personal property. It also requires the preservation of a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere in which people advocate not only for their own rights, but for those of each person who lives and/or works at the College, and where differing views are not only tolerated but embraced.

Conduct, whether intentional or unintentional, that results in sexual harassment or misconduct is prohibited and will not be tolerated. For additional information, please refer to the Bennington College Policy and Procedures Governing Sexual Harassment and Sexual Misconduct.

Students can contact Campus Safety at any time to reach a member of the College’s emergency on-call rotation (Student Life, Health Services, or Psychological Services staff ). Calls can be made anonymously and the reason for the call does not need to be disclosed.

In accordance with the “Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and the Campus Crime Statistics Act,” all colleges are required to provide their current students and employees with an annual copy of crime statistics. The Crime Statistics Report is designed as a general overview of safety-related programs and offices that Bennington College provides to its community. Included in the report are statistics for crimes that occurred on the Bennington College campus and related properties during the most recent calendar year as well as the two preceding years and the number of persons referred for campus disciplinary action for liquor law violations, drug-related violations, and weapons violations. Please note that the criteria required for the Clery Act differ from the criteria used for campus disciplinary statistics. If you have questions, please contact Campus Safety.

Bennington College has a Chemical Hygiene Plan, which describes the Bennington College laboratory safety program, including, but not limited to, standard operating procedures for safe use of hazardous chemicals, criteria for selecting control measures including personal protective equipment, engineering controls, control-equipment inventory and operations (such as vented hoods), employee training programs, medical programs, and safety inspections. This document is intended to comply with 29 CFR 1910.1450 as well as other applicable Federal and State regulations. The CHP covers the buildings of Dickinson, VAPA, and Buildings & Grounds. If any employee or student has questions about the plan or any hazard on campus, please contact Abbey Killam, Chemical Hygiene Officer, at akillam@bennington.edu, ext. 4470, Office Dickinson 200.

In addition, the Campus Safety Team is supported by a team of student employees.