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Everyone wants to have a safe learning environment, and SVCC wants the same thing. Safety starts with you! There are many things that students can do to help maintain a safe college campus:
- Report any known criminal activity or actions, or any emergency occurring during daytime operating hours to security, maintenance/buildings and grounds staff, business office or any college employee. Crimes and emergencies will be reported as appropriate to the appropriate authorities.
- Report any suspicious activity during the evening to the night administrator, library staff and/or security and maintenance/buildings and grounds staff. Emergency call boxes are located at various locations across campuses. Emergencies involving immediate safety or health concerns should be addressed by calling 911.
Report concerns about a person or situation to any faculty or staff member, security, online via the website at www.southside.edu, by email to threat@southside.edu, in person or by phone to the Vice President of Finance and Administration at (434) 949-1005.
While on campus, students, staff, and visitors are cautioned as follows:
- Do not leave purses, bookbags, and other valuables open and unattended,
- Do not leave vehicles unlocked, or valuables exposed in vehicles,
- Observe all posted speed limits and parking regulations to include visitor parking which is strictly limited to visitors of the college. Students and faculty are prohibited from parking in visitor parking spots,
- Report lost or stolen items, or damages to property, to security or any employee,
- For safety purposes rollerblades, roller skates, skateboards, hover boards, etc. may not be used on campus property (sidewalks, parking lots, tennis courts, etc.) or in any college buildings.
Emergency Alert System
Southside Virginia Community College uses ‘Southside Alert’ to immediately contact students, faculty and staff during a major crisis or emergency through texts. Southside Alert delivers important emergency alerts, inclement weather alerts, notifications and updates to you through texts to your cell phone.
When an incident or emergency occurs, authorized senders will instantly send a text notification to you using Southside Alert. Southside Alert is your personal connection to real-time updates, instructions on where to go, what to do, or what not to do, who to contact and other important information.
New users may register your cell phone by sending a text message to:
888777 keyword: svccalert
or go to https://southside.edu/alert for more information.
Southside Alert is free service offered by Southside Virginia Community College. However, your wireless carrier may charge you a fee to receive messages on your wireless device.
If you require an alternate method to texting, such as email or voice notification, please send an email to:
- helpdesk@southside.edu
- Subject: ‘Alert’
- In the body of the message provide your name, email address, and phone number
SVCC will ensure you receive the notifications using your preferred method.
General Communication
SVCC works hard to provide a safe learning environment for its students. As such, the College communicates through multiple methods to ensure that everyone receives pertinent safety information. The College will send information that affects the college schedule via:
Text: Faculty, staff and students may register through https://southside.edu/alert or by texting “svccalert” to 888777 Audio: PA System
Web: An alert message will be posted on the homepage at https://southside.edu
E-mail: Blast e-mail to southside.edu accounts
People: Area Coordinators/Building and Grounds staff
On-Campus Emergencies
To report an on-campus emergency, ask for assistance from any SVCC employee, or dial 911. Each main campus has a part-time security officer who can be identified by uniform.
The telephone number for requesting police assistance:
Christanna Campus - (434) 949-7541 (Alberta Police)
Daniel Campus - (434) 542-5141 (Charlotte County Sheriff’s Office)
Should you call 911 for assistance, immediately thereafter please notify an SVCC employee so employees can best assist emergency responders to quickly locate the emergency.
On-Campus Non-Emergencies
If you are concerned about threatening behavior or a disturbing situation, that is NOT an emergency event, use the “Report Campus Incidents” link or send an email to our Threat Assessment Team threat@southside.edu.
Minor Medical Incidents
The College is not equipped to provide medical services on campus, but persons with minor injuries may find first aid supplies at the Student Success Office or the Buildings and Grounds Office on each campus.
School Closings/Inclement Weather
In the event it is judged necessary to cancel classes or operate on any alternate schedule, such as for inclement weather, that decision will be announced through a Southside Alert text, the SVCC website, over television stations, and radio stations serving the college region. The following stations will receive the college announcement as soon as a decision is made:
Television Stations:
WTVR Channel 6 CBS Richmond
WRIC Channel 8 ABC Richmond
WWBT Channel 12 NBC Richmond
WSET Channel 13 ABC Lynchburg
Radio Stations:
WHLF (South Boston) 1400 AM 95.3 (WJLC) FM
WSHV (South Hill) 1370 AM 101.9 (WKSK) FM
The recorded message on the main telephone lines (434) 949-1000 in Alberta and (434) 736-2000 in Keysville will also carry the pertinent information, when in doubt, please call these numbers. The college will be open unless an official closing is announced.
While every effort is made to maintain uniformity college-wide, weather conditions at times dictate a different schedule for the two campuses and associated centers. In the case of early morning inclement weather, the goal is to make the decision for day classes by 5:45 a.m. and evening classes by 3:00 p.m., however, there will be situations which prevent this goal from being met.
When classes are canceled, all college offices are also closed, unless it is announced otherwise. Except for critical facilities personnel, college staff do not report. When night or evening classes are canceled, “night” refers to those classes that begin at 4 p.m. or later. When daytime classes are delayed or the college is opening late, the classes scheduled for that hour are the classes that will meet, but not any earlier classes.
Students should exercise personal judgment in determining if weather conditions are unsafe for traveling to class.
Weapons Policy
Possession or use of firearms, explosives, or any other dangerous or deadly weapons as defined by the Code of Virginia §18.2-308 (https://law.lis.virginia.gov/vacodefull/title18.2/chapter7/article6.1/) are not appropriate to the college experience. Therefore students, employees, and patrons are not permitted to possess these items on college property except when carried by bona fide law enforcement officials in their official capacities or persons who possess such weapons as part of the school’s curriculum. This policy applies whether the weapon is functional or not. Any device designed to look like a weapon and/or is used by an individual to cause reasonable apprehension or harm is considered a weapon by this policy.
It is a condition of acceptance to the college that all students comply with the college weapons policy. Students and patrons agree to this and all other policies by their continuing enrollment and participation in activities and events.
iPad Policies
- Library use only (not to be used in the cybercafé)
- Only current faculty, staff, and students may check out an iPad.
- Patron must have a valid library account in good standing.
- The iPad will be checked out at the circulation desk.
- The working condition of the iPad will be assessed before checkout and upon its return. Users are responsible for damage to and/or loss or theft of loaned units. Users are required to report any problems experienced with the iPad during their borrowing period.
- The replacement cost for a lost or stolen iPad is up to $600.00. A charge of $40 will be assessed for a lost power cord. Damage charges will be assessed based on the actual repair costs. Patrons who lose or damage an iPad must pay either the replacement fee or the repair cost whichever is deemed to be less costly. If these fees are not paid in a timely manner, Southside Virginia Community College will garnish any state issued payments made to the patron.
- Patrons with an iPad not returned will have a hold placed on their record. This will prevent students from receiving transcripts and registering for classes in subsequent semesters.
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The Library is open to all with the understanding that an atmosphere conducive to research and study is maintained.
For more information about Library services, go the Library website at https://southside.edu/library.
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