Campus Services

North Park uses an emergency response communications system, Blackboard, to immediately inform the campus community of emergency situations as well as cancelations and closures caused by severe weather.

Students and employees will receive text messages, voice messages, calls, and/or e-mails immediately as news pertaining to any form of emergency situation is issued. In order to receive these updates, students, staff, and faculty must provide the University with up-to-date emergency alert information to ensure they are notified.

By providing this alert information, you are giving the University permission to contact you in the case of a campus emergency.

If you choose not to provide an Emergency Alert Phone Number, then you knowingly and voluntarily choose not to participate in the University emergency notification system.

It is your responsibility to maintain this information and keep it current in order to get timely emergency alerts.  You can update your information, opting in or out of the emergency alert system, at any time.

How to Update Emergency Alert Information:

1.     Log into Self-Service

2.     Click on User Options in the left navigation menu.

3.     Click on User Profile.

4.     Under Phone Numbers, provide an up-to-date mobile phone number.

5.     Select Campus Alert as the Phone Type.

6.     Save this information.

In addition, the University may choose to use the LiveSafe App to notify the campus when an emergency situation arises.

Self-Service  LiveSafe App

When appropriate, the University will also communicate with the community via updates on the website and through social media channels.

• www.northpark.edu/stories
• www.facebook.com/npuchicago
• twitter.com/npu

Magnuson Campus Center desk is the hub for receiving and routing emergency calls placed to North Park Campus Safety. It is staffed by trained personnel and outfitted with equipment that will assist in facilitating a timely response to emergency situations.

There are also portable digital radios distributed across campus that will be used in emergency situations to provide direct communication and instructions for safety in residence halls and other main campus buildings. This is a private campus radio network and is also operational in the case of power outage.

During an emergency situation, the University may designate dedicated phone lines as Emergency Help Lines to provide information or instructions. If implemented, the numbers for these lines will be distributed through all appropriate communication channels.

North Park University’s Emergency Management Team is also able to communicate with the City of Chicago Office of Emergency Management during the course of any city event that might affect our campus or surrounding neighborhood.

• Quickly evaluate the situation to figure out what action gives you the best chance of surviving:
  • Run: Can you safely get to a safer location? If yes, do so immediately, leaving your belongings behind.
  • Hide: If you can’t get out safely, find a place to hide in your immediate vicinity that offers more protection as well as options for movement.
  • Fight: The absolute last resort—if running or hiding are not options—is to fight.
• As soon as you are in the safest location possible, call 9-1-1. Do not assume someone else has already called. Tell the dispatcher:
  • Where you are
  • Who the shooter is in as much detail and description as possible
  • Where the shooter is
  • Number and types of weapons you could see
  • Any injuries you are aware of
• If you must hide out, do what you can to stay unnoticed and keep the shooter out: lock the door, turn out the lights, block the door with heavy objects, keep quiet and put cell phones on silent/vibrate.
• If there are two or more people in a space, quickly and quietly plan what to do if the shooter enters your location, and then spread out as much as possible so the shooter would be forced to look around for targets. Do not huddle together. Remain as calm as possible. Everyone must be committed to surviving the situation.
• If the shooter enters your space, assume their intentions are lethal and use anything you have at your disposal as a weapon of defense. Yell loudly, throw things at their face, if possible rush the shooter as a group to overcome them.

• Remove yourself from the person/area if possible. If safe to do so, leave the building.
• Do not physically confront the person or block the person’s access to an exit.
• If remaining in the building, lock and barricade room door.
• Turn off lights and equipment.
• Call Campus Safety at (773) 244–5600 or text Campus Safety through the LiveSafe App. Provide as much information as possible about the person and their direction of travel.
• Remain in secured area until “all clear” has been given by law enforcement or Campus Safety.

• Do not use elevators.
• Follow directions given by evacuation leaders.
• Calmly evacuate the building using the nearest exit.
• Assist persons with disabilities or special needs.

• Activate the nearest fire alarm pull station.
• Calmly evacuate the building using the nearest exit while assisting persons with disabilities or special needs.

• Move away from the site of the hazard to a safe location.
• Alert others to stay clear of the area.
• Call Campus Safety at (773) 244–5600 or text Campus Safety through the LiveSafe App. Provide as much information as possible about the hazardous materials.
• Notify emergency personnel if you have been exposed or have information about the release.

• Stay with the individual and do not attempt to move the individual unless they are in danger.
• Calmly allow emergency personnel to address the situation.

• Remain calm and evacuate the building or area immediately while assisting persons with disabilities or special needs.
• Do not use light switches, cell phones, or anything else that could cause a spark.
• Do not use or tamper with any equipment.
• Call Campus Safety at (773) 244–5600 or text Campus Safety through the LiveSafe App. Provide as much information as possible about natural gas leak.

• Remain calm and move cautiously to a lighted area while assisting persons with special needs. Exits may be indicated by lighted signs if the emergency power is operating.
• Turn off stoves and unplug computers, appliances, and other voltage-sensitive equipment.
• Do not tamper with or reset tripped fuses or switches.
• Do not use candles during power outages.

• When the siren sounds, move all persons to lowest level hallways and tunnels to avoid glass and debris.
• Assist persons with disabilities or special needs.
• Stay away from the windows and skylights.
• Make sure all doors are closed, and keep the corridors clear of objects.
• Wait for “all clear” to return to other campus areas.

• Do not touch or disturb the object.
• Calmly leave the area.
• Call Campus Safety at (773) 244–5600 or text Campus Safety through the LiveSafe App. Provide as much information as possible about the object and its location.