UNM Campus housing continues to build on safety improvements

In October 2023, The University of New Mexico initiated a safety and security update by distributing the Campus Safety Culture Survey to faculty, staff and students. Its goal was to gather the opinions and experiences of each on-campus constituent group to understand their perspectives, practices, and how they felt about leadership commitment toward the campus environment.

As a direct result of the survey, numerous security investment projects have been initiated and several completed over the last year and a half.

That way, during the second week of August each year or move-in week, first-year students and their families can feel confident and secure in their on-campus housing experience.

For many, this will be the first time they are away from their home and families for any length of time. A bittersweet goodbye for parents and siblings, but an exciting new adventure for the new college student, knowing that adventures and opportunities await.

"We work hard to preserve that feeling of safety that each student brings from home," said Megan Chibanga, executive director of Residential Life and Student Housing.

"Everything we do to maintain a student's feeling of safety also needs buy-in from our residents, so we are here to help each resident develop their own personal sense of responsibility to their safety. Our goal is to support each resident in cultivating their own sense of purpose and responsibility regarding their personal safety practices," she said.

Like many universities around the country, UNM has a first-year residency requirement, meaning all incoming first-year students are required to live on campus.

Chibanga and her team have been working diligently to develop, enhance and update UNM's student housing security infrastructure in line with national best practices. In doing so, they have been strengthening students' sense of safety.

She explains that "safety is the feeling you experience when you're on campus, while security refers to the procedures and technology we have in place to support that feeling of safety."

"Safety is the feeling you experience when you're on campus, while security refers to the procedures and technology we have in place to support that feeling of safety."

--Megan Chibanga, executive director of Residential Life & Housing

Since the 2023 Campus Safety Culture Survey, the following security measures have been implemented.

• More cameras have been installed throughout the residential areas to enhance safety and security.
• Residents now have greater access to the student safety team. They are always available to provide escorts for students and have dedicated phone lines, allowing residents to easily reach out to them anytime they need assistance.
• Policies on bike and guest registrations have also been revised. All guests must be registered and must be UNM students.
• Access to the residence halls will also be limited to a single entry point. This will help prevent unwanted guests who shouldn't be in the building from entering.
• Housing continues to update all building access to electronic systems, allowing students to use their ID cards to scan themselves in and out. This provides housing officials with a real-time, up-to-date list of who is in the building at all times.

UNM's Residential Life and Student Housing places safety and security information into buckets to help organize and communicate information effectively. The buckets include the following services:

Hall Security
All residence halls have a primary entrance. All other doors are exit only. Residents can use their LoboCard, just like a hotel key, to swipe for access into the residence halls.

RA on-duty
There's always an RA or resident advisor available to help. An RA is stationed on each floor of a residence hall, and every night, one RA is on call from 8 p.m. to 7 a.m. to help with emergencies in each hall. Students can reach out to an RA at any time; their names and contact information are posted in the dorm lobbies.

RAs are extensively trained to help in emergencies of all kinds, from safety and security to peer support and conflict mediation.

They also create programs and host events in the dorm to promote a sense of community.

Blue light emergency call back system
Students will find blue light emergency call phones throughout campus. These phone lines are a direct line to UNM police department.

Over the past couple of years, the UNM administration has been working on increasing the light around each phone to make it stand out more and deter crime across campus.

Student Resident Commons
The Student Resident Center (SRC) is open 24 hours for students. If a student feels unsafe for any reason, they are encouraged to reach out to the SRC by phone at (505)277-9203.

UNM Police Department
The UNM Police Department is committed to providing services, information and resources to increase the safety of the campus for all students, faculty, staff and visitors.

The UNMPD's website is full of valuable information, and they encourage everyone to review it.

They also offer escort services to anyone needing a safe way to get to on-campus locations. This service is available 24/7. Call (505)277-2241 to request an escort.

If anyone needs immediate help, call 911. For all other calls or to reach UNM PD dispatch, call (505)277-2241.

Lobo Alerts
LoboAlerts is the university's emergency messaging system. It is designed to keep faculty, staff, students and all affiliates informed on situations that affect the entire campus community. Each of these groups are automatically enrolled with the information in Banner.

The system alerts the community via text, email, website updates and campus sirens about any campus-wide alerts, including severe weather, testing of emergency sirens, and any information about events that could potentially threaten the university's daily operations.

Lobo Guardian
The University of New Mexico rolled out the LoboGuardian to help create a support network of "guardians" for all members of the UNM campus community.

The LoboGuardian is a mobile app that serves as a safety tool by creating a virtual safety network of friends and family that can help keep an eye on each person during certain times when they are on campus.

Within the app, a user can set a safety timer and status. Guardians can check user's status and locations during the safety check time frames.

The mobile app also enables users to communicate swiftly and effectively during emergencies, especially by automatically dialing the UNM Police Department.

Expectations and Conduct
Residence Life & Student Housing encourages all students living in campus housing to take an active role in maintaining their safety on campus. Residents should start by reading and familiarizing themselves with the 2025-2026 Residence Hall Handbook. The handbook outlines the policies and procedures that residents are required to follow, and it also includes information about community spaces, campus organizations, services, amenities, the housing contract, key dates, resources, safety tips, and more.

Residents should also review the additional informative links on the Expectations and Conduct webpage, which include the Student Conduct Process, the Missing Persons Policy and the Wellness check requests.

DeAnna Padilla, the assistant director of Residential Life and Student Housing, shared that "there are many ways to communicate; understanding what each resident knows helps us respond to situations quickly."

"We have made sure a staff member is always available to talk to residents. If you see something, please say something," she said.