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Safety & Security

Housing more than 7,000 undergraduate students on an urban campus is a challenge, but we’re committed to making on-campus living as safe, comfortable, and convenient as possible.

Security Desk

All residence hall and apartment-style accommodations, with the exception of Bouquet Gardens and Oakwood Apartments,* have a security desk that is staffed around the clock. When entering your residence hall or apartment-style building, the desk attendant swipes your Panther Card through a card reader to verify that you live in that building. Your Panther Card is programmed to provide access only to your own residence hall or apartment-style building. Your visitors must also present a photo ID.

(*—Bouquet Gardens and Oakwood Apartments do not have security desks. Instead, the main door of these facilities is equipped with an electronic locking system that can be unlocked only when the assigned resident(s) swipe their Panther Card, ensuring that only those students who live there can enter the building.)

Keys

With the exception of Bouquet Gardens and Centre Plaza,* each residence hall room and apartment-style door is equipped with an electronic lock that can be unlocked only when the assigned resident(s) swipes their card key (Panther Card) through the lock and enters a unique Personal Identification Number (PIN) that has been encoded on the card key (Panther Card).

(*—Residents of Bouquet Gardens and Centre Plaza are issued a hard key that opens the apartment door as well as individual bedroom doors.)

All card keys (Panther Cards) and hard keys are the property of the University and cannot be exchanged or given to another person or duplicated outside standard University procedures.

Lost or Stolen Keys

All University Housing
All residents, except those in Bouquet Gardens and Centre Plaza*, should deactivate their card key (Panther Card) online by going to the Panther Central community at my.pitt.edu. After you deactivate your Panther Card, you will need to go to Panther Central to obtain a new card. There is a $20 fee for a new card. If you deactivate your card and subsequently find it before purchasing a new one, you still need to go to Panther Central to get the card reactivated. There is no reactivation fee.

(*—Residents of Bouquet Gardens and Centre Plaza should call Property Management at 412-624-9900, Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. for a replacement hard key. There is a $20 fee for a replacement hard key.)

Lockouts—Residence Halls and Fraternity Complex

Residents of Tower A, Tower B, Tower C, Bruce, Brackenridge, Holland, and McCormick Halls should go to Panther Central, complete a VRS form, and receive an emergency access code. Forbes, Lothrop, Panther, Pennsylvania, Ruskin, and Sutherland Hall residents should go to their respective security desks and complete a VRS form. The security guard will call Panther Central, at which time the student will be given an emergency access code. Emergency access codes provide temporary access to residents’ accommodations.

Residents of the Fraternity Complex should go to the Pennsylvania Hall security desk.

Each student is allotted three free lockouts per academic year; there is a $20 fee for each subsequent lockout.

Lockouts–Apartment-style Accommodations

Residents of Forbes-Craig and Oakwood should call Panther Central at 412-648-1100 to obtain an emergency access code that will allow temporary entrance to their individual accommodations.

Residents of Bouquet Gardens and Centre Plaza should call Property Management at 412-624-9900 to obtain access during normal business hours, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. There is a $50 lockout fee for admittance after normal business hours.

Apartment-style residents that are locked out of the main door of their building should call Property Management at 412-624-9900.

Safety Tips

These simple rules will help keep your residence secure and your belongings safe.

  • Always carry your key and Panther Card with you, but do not attach your Panther Card to your key.
  • Always lock your door when you leave your accommodation unattended.
  • Don't prop open security doors.
  • Report suspicious persons to the University police at 412-624-2121.
  • Avoid leaving valuables out in the open.
  • Register the serial number of computers, stereos, televisions, etc. with the University of Pittsburgh Police Department. Call 412-624-4040 for more information about this free service. Pitt is not liable for damage to or loss of personal property.
  • Visit the University of Pittsburgh Police Department’s Public Safety Home Page for more information on maintaining a safe campus.

Fire Safety

Emergency Fire Number

Call 811 (Emergency Fire Number—University police)

Fire Protection Features

All residence halls, University-owned apartments, and the fraternity complex are equipped with comprehensive fire suppression systems consisting of fire detection devices, automatic sprinklers, and alarms directly linked to response personnel. We provide training and educational sessions to our students and resident advisors in order that they not only know how to operate the safety devices in their residences, but also the proper evacuation routes and procedures. Our systems, training programs, and the protection we receive from a first-rate professional fire company combine to make Pitt one of the country’s most well-protected campuses in terms of fire safety.

Fire Drills

Fire drills are held once per term in each residence hall. For your safety and that of others, please follow these fire safety procedures:

  • Familiarize yourself with the emergency exit routes.
  • Find out where the fire alarm pull stations and fire extinguishers are located on your floor.
  • Memorize the layout of your room and exit route from your floor in case you need to find your way in the dark.

If you see a fire:

  • Pull the fire alarm nearest to you—this automatically notifies the University police and City of Pittsburgh Fire Department.
  • Call 412-624-2121 (Emergency Fire Number—University police).
  • Lock your room door when you leave and take your key.
  • Follow the evacuation route, alerting other residents as you leave if time permits.
  • Use the stair, not the elevators.
  • Exit the building and do not re-enter until staff members or emergency personnel tell you it is safe to return.
  • Move to the assembly place for your building:
    • Amos and McCormick residents—David Lawrence Hall or William Pitt Union (WPU) Patio
    • Brackenridge and Bruce residents—David Lawrence Hall or Towers Patio
    • Forbes residents—Rear of building or loading dock
    • Holland and Towers residents—David Lawrence Hall
    • Lothrop residents—Scaife Hall, Victoria Hall, or Falk Lot
    • Panther and Pennsylvania residents—Petersen Events Center
    • Sutherland and fraternity residents—Trees Hall or Petersen Events Center
    • Bouquet Gardens residents—Posvar Hall or Patio
    • Centre Plaza residents—Amberson Garden Apartments
    • Forbes Craig residents—FB lot rear
    • Oakwood residents—Bouquet Gardens, Q Lot or HP lot

If your building’s fire alarm sounds:

  • Immediately prepare to evacuate—get dressed, put on shoes.
  • Feel your room door. If it is hot, stay in your room and call the University police at 412-624-2121.
  • Put wet towels or sheets in the space below the door to keep smoke out. Stay low if smoke enters your room.
  • Open your window for ventilation unless there is smoke or flames outside your window. Signal from your window. Do not jump!
  • If your door is cool, leave the room.
  • Lock your door when you leave and take your key.
  • Follow the evacuation route. If you encounter smoke or fire, use another route or return to your room if necessary.
  • Use the stairs, not the elevators.
  • Exit the building and do not re-enter until staff members or emergency personnel tell you it is safe to return.
  • Move to the designated assembly point:
    • o Amos and McCormick residents—David Lawrence Hall or William Pitt Union (WPU) Patio
    • Brackenridge and Bruce residents—David Lawrence Hall or Towers Patio
    • Forbes residents—Rear of building or loading dock
    • Holland and Towers residents—David Lawrence Hall
    • Lothrop residents—Scaife Hall, Victoria Hall, or Falk Lot
    • Panther and Pennsylvania residents—Petersen Events Center
    • Sutherland and fraternity residents—Trees Hall or Petersen Events Center
    • Bouquet Gardens residents—Posvar Hall or Patio
    • Centre Plaza residents—Amberson Garden Apartments
    • Forbes Craig residents—FB lot rear
    • Oakwood residents—Bouquet Gardens, Q Lot, or HP lot

False Alarms

False alarms will result in disciplinary action and a $1,000 fine. If a building fire alarm sounds, students who choose not to evacuate may face costly fines imposed by the City of Pittsburgh Fire Department.