Student Safety
Learning to be alert and aware of our surroundings wherever we are in the world is now more important than ever. Messiah College Philadelphia Campus students are encouraged from day one to be street smart; that is, to always be conscious of their personal surroundings. During the first day of orientation each semester, a Temple University Campus Safety officer conducts a session with our students on personal safety and street smarts, providing invaluable advice and techniques for individual safety awareness.

During the weekend-long orientation at the beginning of each semester, students are also given basic instruction on how to safely use public transportation. Via a number of guided outings and group activities, students learn to navigate Philadelphia ’s mass transit system and also begin to become familiar with their new home and neighborhood.

Campus Safety & Security
Messiah College Philadelphia Campus facilities are equipped with monitored fire and burglar alarms. Fire drills are conducted regularly throughout each semester. Accessible windows and doors on campus are equipped with intrusion protection (bars or alarmed screens). Nightly rounds are made by the on-call Resident Assistant. The campus Community Life Director, Assistant Resident Director, Facilities Manager and Program Director all reside on campus and are easily accessible. Protocols are in place so that Campus and College Administration can be immediately notified in the event of an emergency. Emergency contact information for every student is collected at the beginning of each term so that College personnel can be in direct contact with parents or guardians should the need arise.

Temple University is extremely well-lit at night. “The sun never sets at Temple ” aptly describes the lighting on North Broad Street in front of the Messiah College Philadelphia Campus facilities. In addition, Temple University has multiple security cameras, guard booths and emergency call stations installed throughout its campus and on neighboring streets. Temple also provides shuttle buses for transporting students around campus from dusk to dawn.

Temple University security and police officers patrol sidewalks in and around campus 24 hours a day. Temple’s Executive Director of Campus Safety Services, Mr. Carl Bittenbender, is a former police inspector and 26-year veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department. He has served in his current capacity at Temple for the past eight years. In a recent safety publication he wrote: “As a parent I understand the anxiety that you go through when your children leave home . . . I assure you that we are here for them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”