Emergency Notifications:

• Broader Focus-any significant emergency or dangerous situation
• For anywhere on campus
• Issued to entire campus or segment(s) depending on incident
• Alert immediately issued upon confirmation

Timely Warnings:

• Narrower Focus-Clery Act crimes
• For Clery Act geographic area
• Issued to reach entire campus community
• Warning issued as soon as pertinent information is available

Emergency Notification: University immediately notifies the campus community upon confirmation of a significant emergency or dangerous situation occurring on the campus that involves an immediate threat to the health or safety of students or employees. An “immediate” threat as used here includes an imminent or impending threat. “Immediate” threat as used here includes an imminent or impending threat, such as an approaching brush fire, or a fire currently raging in one of our buildings. These are issued through the Department of Public Safety. Some examples of significant emergencies or dangerous situations are:

• outbreak of meningitis, norovirus or other serious illness;
• approaching hurricane or other extreme weather conditions;
• earthquake;
• gas leak;

• terrorist incident;
• armed intruder; active shooter
• bomb threat;
• civil unrest or rioting;
• explosion; and
• nearby chemical or hazardous waste spill

Examples of situations that would not necessitate an Emergency Notification under the Clery Act:

• Power outages, Snow closures, String of thefts (Issued as a “Rowan Advisory”)

 If an Emergency Notification is issued there is no requirement to also issue a Timely Warning for the same circumstance.

Timely Warning:  Will be released to the campus community for “Clery Act” reportable crimes on Rowan University’s “Clery Act” geography reported to Public Safety that are considered by the University, in the judgement of the Senior Director of Public Safety or other authorized command staff member (the decision may be made in consultation with the General Counsel), that “represents a serious or continuing threat or danger to the students and employees” of the University.  Timely Warnings are issued through the Department of Public Safety. University Relations may supply message content. Timely Warning Notices are typically written by the University Relations Office using a summary of the incident and other pertinent information provided by the Public Safety Officer in Charge through the Public Safety Administration and when needed assisted by the University’s General Counsel’s Office. If the University Relations Office is unavailable, the Officer in Charge is authorized to write a Timely Warning Notice, in consultation with Administrators in Public Safety.  The University Relations Office has primary responsibility for distribution of the TWN via the Rowan Mass Notification Alert system.  If University Relations staff is unavailable, the Public Safety Officer in Charge will provide the Rowan Communication Center personnel with a final version of the TWN for distribution via the Rowan Mass Notification Alert system.

NOTE: Although the Clery Act does not define “timely,” the intent of a warning regarding a criminal incident(s) is to enable our university community to protect themselves. This means that a warning is issued as soon as pertinent information is available.

A Timely Warning is issued on a case by case basis ans as soon as the pertinent information is available.  Some examples are: 

• Murder/Non-negligent manslaughter;
• Sex offenses (rape, fondling, incest, and statutory rape);
• Robbery;
• Aggravated assault;

• Burglary;
• Motor vehicle theft; and
• major incidents of Arson,
• or incidents if the crime represents a serious or continuing threat to the University.

Additionally, any hate crimes involving bodily injury or any of the previously listed crimes, that represent a continuing threat to the university community require a Timely Warning. Any other crimes that represent a serious or continuing threat to the community may also have a Timely Warning issued for them and they will be assessed on a case-by-case basis, depending on the facts of the case and the information known by the University and Department of Public Safety. Rowan is not required to provide a Timely Warning for non-Clery Act crimes or for crimes reported to a pastoral or professional counselor.