Public Safety

Ivy Tech Community College intends to provide a safe place for all students. Violent behavior, direct or indirect threats, harassment, or intimidation will not be tolerated. It is the responsibility of all students to help keep the school safe by monitoring their own behavior and reporting incidents involving other students who exhibit any form of violent or threatening behavior. Please see the Prevent Sexual Violence page for more information.

We provide insurance and claims management, offer consulting and design tools to assist the campus community in managing risk, and inform policies and procedures to support safe and compliant operations. We strive to be a valued partner and desire for all to take part in the risk management process.

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The Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Campus Statistics Act (the “Clery Act”), requires college and universities to compile and publish statistics on certain criminal offenses that occur on or adjacent to college properties. 

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The College is committed to maintaining a drug and alcohol-free workplace for employees and students.  In compliance with the provisions of the Drug-Free Schools and Communities Act Amendments of 1989, Ivy Tech Community College has adopted and implemented a program to prevent the unlawful possession, use or distribution of illicit drugs and alcohol by students and employees. 

Ivy Tech Community College presents the following information for your knowledge and in promotion of healthy lifestyles:

• Student and Employee Policies and Codes of Conduct
• Health Risks Associated with Substance Abuse
• Legal Sanctions: Federal and State
• Drug/Alcohol Counseling and Treatment
• Institutional Disciplinary Sanctions

It is the policy of Ivy Tech Community College to promote safe, healthy and productive environment for all students and employees.  The College prohibits the unlawful manufacture, distribution dispensation, possession, and use of controlled substances. The use of alcohol by students, faculty or staff on College property is prohibited. The unlawful use or abuse of alcohol as a part of any College activity is also prohibited. Any student, faculty or staff member of the college found to be using alcohol or using, possessing, manufacturing or distributing controlled substances in violation of the law on college property or at college events shall be subject to disciplinary action in accordance with applicable policies of the College. Persons violating this policy will be subject to sanctions that may include suspension or dismissal from the College.

Drug & Alcohol Free College Policy

Students

Applicable sections in the Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities are:

II.C.24. Possession/Distribution/Consumption of Alcohol: Unauthorized possession, use, or supplying alcoholic beverages to others contrary to law or college policy.

a. Ivy Tech Community College prohibits:

1. Public intoxication, use or possession of alcoholic beverages on college property;

2. Providing or possessing alcohol contrary to law.

b. Student organizations that serve or permit possession of alcoholic beverages at student organization functions, on or off campus, may be disciplined if violations of alcoholic beverage laws or of college regulations occur.  Individual students who plan, sponsor, or direct such functions also may be subject to sanctions. 

II.C.25. Possession/Distribution/Use of Illegal Drugs or Controlled Substances: Unauthorized possession, manufacture, sale, distribution, or use of illegal drugs, any controlled substance, or drug paraphernalia.  This may incude being under the influence of illegal drugs or unauthorized controlled substances.

Employees

The Drug and Alcohol Free Workplace Policy is contained in full in the Ivy Tech Employee Handbook.

1. The following sanctions are prohibited at a college facility or while engaged in college-related activities: The unlawful manufacture, distribution, possession, sale, use or being under the influence of a controlled substance, drug, or alcohol. 

2. Violations of this policy will be considered gross misconduct and will result in immediate disciplinary action that includes one or more of the following:

• A first written performance improvement plan
• A second written performance improvement plan
• Termination

3. All employees must abide by the terms of this policy.  Should an employee be convicted of any criminal drug statute violation at a college site or while conducting a college-related activity, that employee must notify his or her Human Resources Administrator no later than five (5) calendar days after the conviction. Employees who fail to notify their Human Resources Administrator within five (5) calendar days are subject to immediate termination from College employment.

4. If an employee is convicted of a criminal drug statue violation as listed in item 3, the Human Resources Administrator must notify the General Counsel within five (5) calendar days after being informed of the conviction by the employee.

5. All newly hired employees will receive and formally acknowledge receipt of this policy at the beginning of their employment with the College.  Refusal to formally acknowledge receipt of this policy is grounds for dismissal from the College. 

The use of alcohol, certain drugs, and controlled substances is known to be detrimental to physical and psychological well-being. Their use is associated with a wide variety of health risks are severe weight loss, malnutrition, physical and mental dependence, changes in the reproductive system, heart problems, and even death.  It is the student's and employee’s responsibility to know which drugs are illegal. 

The following information on health risks is from What Works: Schools Without Drugs, U.S. Department of Education (1992):

Alcohol consumption causes a number of marked changes in behavior.  Even low doses significantly impair the judgment and coordination required to drive a car safely, increasing the likelihood that the driver will be involved in an accident.  Low to moderate doses of alcohol also increase the incidence of a variety of aggressive acts, including spouse and child abuse.  Moderate to high doses of alcohol cause marked impairments in higher mental functions, severely altering a person's ability to learn and remember information.  Very high doses cause respiratory depression and death.  If combined with other depressants of the central nervous system, much lower doses of alcohol will produce the effects just described.

Repeated use of alcohol can lead to dependence.  Sudden cessation of alcohol intake is likely to produce withdrawal symptoms, including severe anxiety, remorse, hallucinations, and convulsions.  Alcohol withdrawal can be life-threatening.  Long-term consumption of large quantities of alcohol, particularly when combined with poor nutrition, can lead to permanent damage to vital organs such as the brain and liver. 

Mothers who drink alcohol during pregnancy may give birth to infants with fetal alcohol syndrome.  These infants have irreversible physical abnormalities and mental retardation. In addition, research indicates that children of alcoholic parents are at greater risk than other youngsters of becoming alcoholics. 

A chart accompanying this policy in the current Safe and Secure brochure lists the possible effects and health risks associated with the use of illicit drugs and controlled substances. 

In addition to College sanctions, Indiana and Federal law provides for fines and/or imprisonment for the unlawful possession, sale, manufacture, or distribution of drugs or alcohol. The amount of the fines and the length of the imprisonment vary according to the type and amount of the substance involved, the offender's past record for such offenses, and a variety of other factors.  One particularly relevant factor is the legal sanctions for the unlawful distribution of drugs increase if the substance is distributed to a person under twenty-one (21) years of age or within one thousand (1,000) feet of the property of the post-secondary institution.

The following information concerns the criminal penalties that can be imposed by State or Federal statutes for violations related to alcohol or illegal drug possession, use, or distribution.  All students are reminded that conviction under state and federal laws that prohibit alcohol-related and drug-related conduct can result in fines, confiscation of automobiles and other property, and imprisonment.  In addition, licenses to practice in certain professions may be revoked, and many employment opportunities may be barred.

It is impractical to list all the alcohol and drug-related state and federal crimes and penalties, but all persons should be aware that in Indiana any person under 21 who possesses an alcoholic beverage, and any person who provides alcohol to such person, is at risk of arrest.  Any person who is intoxicated in public is at risk of arrest. A person convicted of driving while intoxicated may be punished by fine, but jailed and lose the license to drive an automobile.  Any selling of alcoholic beverages without a license is illegal.

Indiana Lifeline Law: Under Indiana's Lifeline Law, students will not be prosecuted for certain alcohol-related crimes if they call 911 to report medical emergencies, sex offenses, or crimes so long as they cooperate with law enforcement (IC 7.1-5-1-6.5).

For the most recent and complete Federal Trafficking Penalties information, visit the website of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.

Each campus, as well as the System Office administration, is responsible for offering a Drug and Alcohol-Free Awareness Program each year to which all employees under their jurisdiction have access.  Topics for this program will include:

• College drug-free workplace policy
• Safety at work related to controlled substance or drug abuse for employees and students
• Health effects of controlled substance or drug abuse
• Community resources for employee rehabilitation from drug or controlled substance abuse.