Safety Initiatives at Linfield

Campus safety initiatives

Annual Security Report

Every October, Linfield publishes its Annual Security Report – a yearly report that provides information on crime statistics, and the university’s security policy and procedures. It also provides useful information on the university’s emergency response protocols and guidance as well as policies regarding sexual assault and other matters.

Linfield Public Safety officials trained to administer lifesaving medicine

From counseling services to 24/7 courtesy rides, Linfield University promotes wellbeing and safety on campuses in many ways. Linfield added a new resource to its toolkit in early 2023: the university now has access to a supply of naloxone and EpiPens, and Linfield Public Safety (LPS) officials have been trained in using both in emergency situations.

Introducing the new Department of Safety and Risk Management

To increase coordination of safety at Linfield University, the Office of Environmental Health, Safety and Risk Management is combining with LPS to form the Department of Safety and Risk Management. The department oversees environmental health and safety, risk management, emergency management and LPS.

CERT Program 

Linfield’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is a training program for Linfield students and employees. CERT is full of information to better prepare for a disaster – natural or otherwise. All LPS officers go through this training and several other community members have voluntarily completed it in order to better assist the campuses during a major event.

There are two opportunities for any Linfield community member to complete the free 23-hour series over nine weeks each academic year. Find out more at linfield.edu/CERT or contact Doug Cummins in LPS at dcummins@linfield.edu

Additional resources:

• Review Linfield’s Emergency Operations Plan
• How to prepare yourself for a major event

Student Safety Patrol and Safe Ride Programs

In partnership with the Office of Student Activities and ASLU student government, LPS is organizing two peer-led safety initiatives.

• Student Safety Patrol supports LPS officers in keeping campus safe by augmenting campus patrol visibility and offering safety escorts after dark.
• Under development is a Safe Ride Program that will provide safe rides for students, by students, from campus to McMinnville's downtown Third Street and back.

We are currently recruiting students for both programs. If you are interested in a paid position, contact lps@linfield.edu for more information. 

Camera installation

In order to help enhance campus safety, a camera security system has been added to key locations throughout both campuses. For our larger McMinnville campus, we secured a grant to cover a majority of the $160,000 installation and equipment cost. The motion-activated cameras send real-time reports of suspicious activity to LPS officers, furthering their ability to monitor and intervene when issues arise on campus.

Public safety emergency app

To better serve our community and increase access to safety measures, the Wildcat Guardian app, an emergency app for use by all Linfield community members is available.

Through Wildcat Guardian, all students, faculty and staff have the ability to contact the on-duty LPS officer from anywhere. This ensures that the caller will be able to move safely to their location while alerting an LPS officer.

Sexual Misconduct and Relationship Violence 

Title IX coordinator

Jess Irvine of Grand River Solutions is Linfield University's Title IX coordinator. Irvine has more than 10 years of experience in sexual violence prevention, including education and training programs, bystander safety, process development and Title IX compliance.

Coordinator of student wellness and survivor advocacy

To bolster our commitment to student safety and support, this position focuses on addressing sexual misconduct, intimate partner violence and related safety issues. The coordinator integrates educational programs with wellness initiatives to promote the well-being and safety of Linfield students.

Title IX Working Group

A Title IX Working Group comprised of faculty, staff and student representatives works with internal and external experts to ensure that Linfield’s Title IX practices, policies and procedures are clear and address the most pressing concerns of all university stakeholders.

They work to ensure that Linfield does not simply meet all federal and state laws and guidelines, but exceeds them through the implementation of trauma-informed best practices and fair processes. 

General safety initiatives

Campus climate survey

Linfield conducted a diversity and equity survey in the spring of 2021 in collaboration with the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS). The anonymous survey was distributed to students, faculty and staff at all Linfield locations. The results help us understand how community members who responded to the survey perceived Linfield’s climate, the level of support for diversity and equity, and the frequency at which discrimination or harassment is experienced. Included in this survey were questions about types of discriminatory or harassing behavior experienced, the source of that behavior (students, faculty, staff, local community) and the general location of that behavior (classroom, office, residence, social media).

The Linfield leadership team is using the data collected from the 791 responses to implement solutions. On Oct. 13, 2021, the University Cabinet charged the Linfield community with acting on the recommendations made by the Diversity and Equity Survey Committee (page 5 of the executive summary). In addition, the strategic plan has incorporated some of these recommendations and Linfield’s Vice Presidents are currently determining the next actions and goals.

One step has already been taken to incorporate the campus climate survey into the routine institutional survey cycle. Repeating the survey allows Linfield to monitor if members of the community experience improvements over the long term. The next survey will be conducted in spring 2024.

Find survey information and action items from the results here.

Strategic Planning

Hundreds of staff and faculty members participated in the development of Linfield’s next strategic plan over the course of a year and a half. Credo, a national leader in strategic planning, helped guide the process.

This new strategic plan will drive the institution forward over the next five to 10 years, elevating the work already happening at Linfield and bringing to life new possibilities through community collaboration to achieve these goals.