Civil Disturbance and Demonstrations

Members of the NYIT community seeking to assemble should contact the Office of the Dean of Students for an authorized demonstration permit. A peaceful, non-obstructive student demonstration will be permitted unless one or more of the following conditions exist as a result of the demonstration:

• Interference with the normal operation of NYIT and surrounding community
• Prevention of access to buildings, classes, offices, and other facilities
• Threat of physical harm to persons or damage to NYIT facilities or the surrounding community
• Activity that violates the Student Code of Conduct

Primary Response Team

• NYIT campuses: Office of Campus Security; Long Island residences: University police; Manhattan residences: 911
• Director of facilities or designee
• Office of Housing and Residential Life staff
• Office of the Dean of Students staff/ coordinator of campus operations and student services staff

Secondary Response Team

• Office of Strategic Communications and External Affairs
• Office of Human Resources
• Office of the President
• Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs
• Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs

Objective
Assist and provide for the safety of the NYIT community.

Notification
Follow the established chain of primary responders. If the situation has caused loss of life or lives are threatened, immediately call 911. The Office of Campus Security will be the first NYIT responders in all emergency events and should be notified immediately.

Procedures

Non-obstructive demonstrations, generally, should not be interrupted. Demonstrators should not be blocked or provoked and efforts should be made to conduct NYIT business as a normally as possible. Security personnel will be assigned to the demonstration area to ensure safety.

For community members:

• If you observe a group of people who appear agitated or who are engaged in a demonstration and are not accompanied by campus security, call the Office of Campus Security. If the situation has caused loss of life or lives are threatened, immediately call 911.
• Do not attempt to disband the group.

For primary responders:

• Respond to scene; initiate emergency response phone chain by calling the director of facilities operations.
• Ask the demonstrators to terminate any disruptive activity.
• If the demonstrators are violent—injury to persons or property has occurred or appears eminent—call 911.
• If the demonstrators are calm, ask the dean of students and, if applicable, the director of residential program or their designees to attempt to persuade the demonstrators to discontinue the disruptive activity, and advise the demonstrators of the rights and responsibilities as members of the campus community.
• Attempt to identify the demonstrators in alleged violation, including taking photographs as necessary and appropriate.
• Contact the director of security and the director of facilities to consult with the president or his designee and other members the primary and secondary response teams to determine if outside law enforcement professionals should be brought in. (The director of security reserves the right to call off-campus law enforcement agencies for assistance, without counsel from others, if it is deemed to be of paramount importance in assuring the safety of persons or property involved.)
• If local law enforcement has been called, inform the demonstrators.

Follow-up:

• Primary and secondary responders
• Provide aid to anyone who may have been injured.
• Engage the services of the Counseling and Wellness Centers staff for those in need.
• Document the incident, and advise the members of the response team.
• Engage campus recovery procedures as outlined by the Department of Facilities.
• The Dean of Students or Coordinator of Campus Operations and Student Services (CI) meet with demonstrators in an effort to resolve issues leading to the demonstrations.
• Follow up to ensure that appropriate campus and off-campus disciplinary action occurs.