Campus alert: December 14, 2018 7:50 p.m.

All clear: Suspect from the Alumni Center was taken into custody across campus by CSUPD at 7:46 p.m.

December 14, 2018 7:20 p.m.

CSUPD is looking for a suspect who, shortly before 7 p.m., pulled a knife on an employee at the CSU Alumni Center in the stadium on campus. The employee was not injured. Suspect  is described as possible transient, White male with glasses, wearing dark jacket and dark beanie with a brown beard. Call 970-491-6425 if you have info. Photo of suspect is below.

Rocky Mountain Showdown and Fall Safety

Dear students,

Each fall, we send students a reminder about safety, as well as information from Denver Police regarding the Rocky Mountain Showdown. Many of us are excited to cheer on the Rams Friday as CSU takes on CU at the Rocky Mountsin Showdown at Mile High Stadium in Denver. The Showdown can be a great time to show team spirit in this intense on-field rivalry.

While we want you to have fun and cheer for the Rams we also want to make sure students stay safe and act responsibly.

Be safe

Remember, Rams take care of Rams, so please take care of yourselves and others. Make sure someone knows where you’ll be and who you’ll be with. Trust your instincts. When you feel uneasy, get out of the situation immediately and help friends who may be in unsafe situations.

Call 911 if you see something that doesn’t seem right, or if you think you or someone else is in danger.

Ask for help if you are concerned that a friend has had too much to drink. Call 911 if a friend:

• Cannot be roused and is unresponsive to your voice, shaking, or pinching
• Has skin that is cold, clammy, pale, bluish, or blotchy
• Has shallow, irregular breathing (more than 10 seconds between breaths) or slow (8 or fewer breaths per minute)
• Exhibits mental confusion, stupor, or coma-like symptoms
• Has seizures, convulsions, or rigid spasms
• Vomits while asleep or unconscious and is not awakened by it

Party registration

If you are hosting a party in town, use the community party registration system. You can sign up to get a phone call from Fort Collins police if neighbors complain about the party before police visit your home and issue a ticket. This can help you avoid a $1,000 fine and misdemeanor noise violation charge. More information about the party registration program is here.

If your party starts to get out of hand, call the police. And remember that supplying underage people with alcohol can result in serious consequences for party hosts. You also are subject to a nuisance gathering ordinance violation if a guest or guests leave your gathering and cause property damage (examples – trash and litter, public urination and vandalism). The fine for a party host ranges up to $1,000.

If you are attending a party that appears to be escalating into something bad, leave the area, and again, take care of one another.

Rocky Mountain Showdown

We know CSU students have excellent character. You all are familiar with the CSU Principles of Community. For many years now, Denver Police have asked us to sign a joint letter with their agency and CU police, and to share information about stadium rules (such as their policies about what you can and cannot bring into the game), and their special focus on fan safety related to alcohol consumption. That communication to students from both universities is here.

Thanks for doing your part to make CSU a great place. From time to time, members of our university community will send you emails about general safety or specific safety alerts. Please watch your email for those messages.

Your actions have impact: make your actions a statement that you’re proud to be a CSU Ram!

 

Thank you,

Chief Scott Harris, Colorado State University Police Department

Jody Donovan, Dean of Students

(email sent to all students on Thursday, Aug. 30)

Students targeted with phishing scam

Aug. 19, 2018, 8:30 a.m.

CAUTION: a recent phishing attempt has targeted students at CSU and other universities.

Phishing is the attempt to fraudulently convince people to give personal information over email or other channels based on deception, including faked “from” addresses. Some of these attempts can be quite convincing, using official graphics and accurate contact information in signature blocks.

In recent weeks, universities across the country — including CSU — have been subject to phishing attacks designed to gain university login credentials. With these credentials, attackers can then log in to student portals like RamWeb and view *or change* important personal information, including things like bank account information for depositing financial aid refunds.

Protect yourself from phishing. Follow these simple guidelines:

• Don’t assume that an email is valid just because of who it appears to come from.
• Don’t give important personal information — including passwords — over email conversations.
• Be extremely cautious of clicking links in emails.
  • Open a new browser window and type in the URL instead.
  • “Mouse over” the link to confirm that it goes where it says it’s going to go.
• If you do click, immediately check for the HTTPS padlock icon.
• If you have concerns about an email, call the sender instead (at a number from the online directory, not in the email)

Afraid you’ve been victimized by phishing?

If you think you may have lost money, or if you feel unsafe, call the CSU Police Department, 970-491-7265.

To check on an email or report a phish, please email the Information Security team, soc@colostate.edu

 

Attempted strong-arm robbery June 3

Colorado State University Police Department received a report of an attempted strong arm robbery that occurred on the Oval around 3 a.m. on June 3.

The victim – who was not affiliated with the university – says they punched the suspect and the suspect fled, possibly to the north. The suspect is described as a male with long hair.

If you have information about the suspect or this incident, please contact CSUPD at 970-491-6425.

Friday, May 25, informational alert

Fort Collins Police Services are asking that anyone with information about a man recently arrested for for harassing multiple women in the Campus West area to contact them.

Andrew Varela was arrested on charges of harassment and indecent exposure. Multiple female victims reported that Varela repeatedly drove past them slowly while they were on foot or sunbathing, sometimes following them back to their apartments. Varela is also accused of engaging in indecent activity in his vehicle while watching women. Victims reported that Varela drove a red Hyundai Veloster.

Full FCPS press release, Varela’s photo and vehicle photo.

Tour incident, May 2018

May 4 Message from President Frank Re Admissions Tour Incident

Colleagues,

Earlier this week, we alerted campus to an incident that occurred on an Admissions tour, in which a mother who was part of the tour called the police with suspicions about two young, Native American men. In keeping with our University policy of being open and transparent about issues like this, we’ve shared the information campus-wide, and it has now been picked up by national news outlets and social media. I’m writing now to bring you up to date on where we are in responding, and to share some thoughts as our semester comes to a close.

The tour incident and its implications have troubled and angered many of us on campus as well as many of our alumni and people with no connection to CSU. The emotions released have ranged from sadness to frustration to anger, all flowing from a reservoir of sympathy created by imagining ourselves or our children in this situation. This empathy unmasks the fundamental unfairness at play, and creates a cognitive dissonance with who we are and who we aspire to be. The resounding theme expressed to our office has been that people want to ensure we are reaching out to the young men and doing what we can to make things right. This is absolutely the University’s goal. Vice President for Enrollment and Access Leslie Taylor and I have both tried to contact the family through various means, and we have so far not been successful. Our hope is to speak with the family of the young men and to, at a minimum, reimburse their expenses and offer them another opportunity to visit our campus as VIP guests if they have any interest in doing so. At this point, we are attempting to make that contact through social media as we have not been successful through other means.

Earlier this morning, I and some others were able to view the body cam footage of our police interaction with these students. Rather than trying to describe what I see through my own set of lenses, I’ll simply offer that the footage is now publicly available, as is the police report of the incident at <a href=”https://safety.colostate.edu/”>https://safety.colostate.edu/</a>

Our administration has also been meeting to discuss potential changes to how we manage campus tours and will move as soon as possible to some type of badging or lanyards for tour guests so they are clearly identifiable as visitors to our campus. We have developed a new protocol by which CSUPD will make tour guides aware if they ever need to interact with a tour participant. And VP Taylor and her staff also will be working with our student tour guides, who do an outstanding job in a very difficult role, to incorporate new language into their introductions so that anyone with questions or concerns views the tour guide as the first point of contact.

These are obviously small steps aimed at parts of the etiology of this specific incident, but they reflect the deep concern and commitment shared by our Admissions team, CSUPD, and the University administration to prevent something like this from happening again.

I don’t mean to minimize these small steps by what I’m about to say next – they’re important. But as a parent and as a university president, I worry even more about the big strides we need to make as a culture and a campus. Two young men, through no fault of their own, wound up frightened and humiliated because another campus visitor was concerned about their clothes and overall demeanor, which appears to have simply been shyness. The very idea that someone – anyone – might “look” like they don’t belong on a CSU Admissions tour is anathema. People of all races, gender identities, orientations, cultures, religions, heritages, and appearances belong here. As long as you want to earn a great education surrounded by people with the same goal who come from every part of our state, our country, and our world, then you belong here. And if you’re uncomfortable with a diverse and inclusive academic environment, then you probably have a better fit elsewhere.

We are committed – through our role and mission – to provide access to an exceptional education to everyone with the talent and motivation to earn their degree. We’ve been working hard at this – and we have progress worth celebrating. This year’s entering class at CSU is 31% diverse, mirroring or exceeding our state’s diversity. We have among the lowest race-based graduation rate gaps in the nation. We have strong internal support networks for students of different identities, including the excellent work of our cultural and resource centers, and strong student, faculty, and staff leadership around diversity and inclusion. And we know our work in these areas isn’t done – it needs to be strengthened and continued.

That’s probably where I ought to stop, but some of you have been teasing me that my emails have been getting too short….and there’s a bit more I feel I need to say here, if you’ll bear with me.

What can all of us take away from this experience? What can we learn from it to make ourselves and our community more just? It seems to me that we can all examine our conscience about the times in our own lives when we’ve crossed the street, avoided eye contact, or walked a little faster because we were concerned about the appearance of someone we didn’t know but who was different from us. That difference often, sadly, includes race. We have to be alert to this, look for it, recognize it – and stop it. We simply have got to expect and to be better; our children and our world deserve it and demand it.

I make that declarative statement from within a glass house: a white man in a position of authority. I have, in my own journey, come to believe that privilege is like someone shining a bright light in our eyes; it makes it hard to see things that others can see unless we force our eyes to adapt. It’s my personal hope that I’ll continue to get better at doing this, and that by doing so I’ll become a better president, colleague, and human being. It’s in that spirit that I offer these thoughts, not as someone offering any special expertise, but as someone walking alongside all of you as we make our journeys together.

We are, in fact, in a battle with hate within our communities. While much of what we have been speaking about is born of ignorance, we can educate against ignorance. The hate that is in the hearts of white supremacists as they attempt to frighten and isolate people across this country is not ignorance. It’s a malignant choice. The increase in racist and anti-Semitic symbols and language and demonstrations across America’s college campuses has been well-documented. We at CSU have simply chosen to deal with these issues in a more open manner, and that comes at a potential reputational cost to CSU for being public when such things occur. But history has shown us that hate grows in the face of silence. Hate is not made uncomfortable. Hate does not shrink from fear. What affects hate is our willingness to shine a bright and unwavering light on it and to face it and confront it.

There is no place for hate at Colorado State University, and we will not be silent when we see it.

So, to our community, I put the question: Where do we go from here?

Are we willing to push ourselves into uncomfortable places in order to see the reality of what people experience on our campus and how we help to perpetrate it, whether through action or inaction, collectively and as individuals?

If we can do that, then we take a big step toward assuring that everyone with the talent and motivation to earn a college degree here at CSU can do so in a setting in which they’ll be intellectually challenged, but also one that they’ll be proud to call home. That’s a goal we will never stop striving for; it is simply who we are.

In one week, the semester will end, and many of us will disperse for the summer. I usually close my end of term emails by talking about baseball and rest and coming back to campus reenergized for the fall term. But these challenges will still be here when we get back. This is our university. What are we going to do about these challenges?

It is my hope that each of us returns with a commitment to be a little kinder, a little better, to work a little harder at seeing each other’s point of view, and to use our voice. Not always to agree, but always to defend each other and to oppose hate.

Be well, CSU, take care of yourselves and each other.

-tony

Dr. Tony Frank

President

May 4 Update: Admission tour incident on April 30
The Colorado State University Police Department is providing the audio recording of the call to the CSUPD 911 operator, body camera footage of the police officers’ contact with the two individuals on April 30, and a copy of the police report. All have been redacted to protect personally-identifiable information of juveniles and the individuals involved in accordance with the Colorado Criminal Justice Records Act.

CSUPD 911 Call Audio

• Download audio file

Email sent to campus community on May 2, from VPs Taylor, Ontiveros, and Hughes

Colleagues,
As part of our commitment to be transparent in communicating about issues related to race occurring on our campus, we are writing to share the following update.

On a CSU Admissions tour Monday, a parent participating in the tour called campus police because she was nervous about the presence of two young men who joined the tour while it was in progress. Police responded to the call by contacting the young men, who are Native American and visiting from New Mexico, during the tour. The CSUPD spoke with the students, confirmed they were part of the tour, and allowed them to rejoin the group. Unfortunately, due to the location of the tour when the contact was made, the Admissions tour guide was unaware that police had been called or responded, and the tour group had moved on without the students, who returned to Ammons Hall briefly, then left campus to return home to New Mexico.

This incident is sad and frustrating from nearly every angle, particularly the experience of two students who were here to see if this was a good fit for them as an institution. The Office of Admissions, Office of the VP for Diversity, Native American Cultural Center, and the CSUPD all are meeting to review how such an incident can be avoided or more appropriately handled in the future. We have reached out to the students’ family and school community. As a University community, we deeply regret the experience of these students while they were guests on our campus.

The fact that these two students felt unwelcome on our campus while here as visitors runs counter to our Principles of Community and the goals and aspirations of the CSU Police Department, even as they are obligated to respond to an individual’s concern about public safety, as well as the principles of our Office of Admissions.

Signed,
Leslie Taylor, Vice President for Enrollment and Access
Mary Ontiveros, Vice President for Diversity
Dr. Blanche Hughes, Vice President for Student Affairs

Campus safety warning about person of concern

Notification made to campus at 2: 25 p.m. April 5

Joshua “Yeshua” Jackson, a student, has recently been excluded from campus due to threatening behavior and generalized threats of violence regarding schools and our community. He is currently excluded from campus and all university-owned property by CSUPD; being excluded from campus means he cannot legally be on campus. He has recently been charged in connection with these threats, verbally accosting individuals earlier this week, a bias-motivated crime, and engaging in physical violence while in police custody.

He is 24 years old and is described 6’1”, 160 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes.

If you see him on campus or approaching campus, or near University Village (university-owned housing in the Campus West area), call or text 911 immediately or call CSUPD’s non-emergency number at (970) 491-6425.

Thursday, March 1, email sent to faculty and staff about mental health

Dear Colleagues,

We often talk about how our campus is a community, much like a small city inside of a larger city. We are all connected by our commitment to the university and the good work that happens here. As part of those connections, we also form relationships with each other as professors to students, colleague to colleague, and as friend to friend.

Within our role as teacher, advisor or coworkers, we notice when life isn’t going smoothly for others. Sometimes we find ourselves interacting with others who are struggling with a continuum of depression, anxiety, loss, stress, or other issues that can be taxing to mental health.

Tragically, our campus has experienced the loss of students and employees to suicides this academic year. Suicide is a very complicated act and we are often left without clear answers. However, one thing is certain; the pain a person experiences when struggling with suicidal thoughts or a mental health issue is not permanent. There are resources, and treatments can help.

The university offers confidential support and connections to mental health professionals for employees through the Employee Assistance Program. Via this partnership, CSU employees can receive up to six free counseling sessions.

Many of you already take advantage of this program and additional training:

 (Having trouble reading this inforgraphic? visit https://source.colostate.edu/mental-health-crisis-support-efforts/)

The university also significantly invests in a variety of support resources for students. We know that individuals often experience mental health challenges for the first time when they are college age, and that the mere experience of leaving home and attending a university can present mental health challenges for students.

Here’s an overall snapshot of mental health resources on campus, and their use:

(Having trouble viewing this inforgraphic? visit https://source.colostate.edu/mental-health-crisis-support-efforts/)

What can you do if you’re struggling or know someone who may be having a difficult time?

• As always, if there is an immediate risk of someone hurting themselves or others, immediately call 911 from any location. If you are on campus, immediately tell the dispatcher that you are on campus and then your campus location.
• Tell Someone: A university service where anyone can share if they are concerned about a student or employee. The university follows up to help make sure that the student or employee who may be having a difficult time get connected to support. Visit tellsomeone.colostate.edu or call during business hours 970-491-1350.
• Employee Assistance Program and CARE Program: The Employee Assistance Program offers a confidential referral to mental health counselors for employees and members of their household and up to six counseling sessions without a charge. The CARE program connects and refers employees to community resources that provide health and social services https://ombudsandeap.colostate.edu/employee-assistance-program/. The 24/7 number for the Employee Assistance Program is 800-497-9133.
• Red Folder: The Red Folder, mailed through campus mail to all employees about every 18 months and given to new employees at orientation has information about various resources available to help employees and students with mental health challenges. An updated version of the folder will be published and mailed this fall.

We want you to know that reaching out for help for yourself or someone else is the first step to feeling better. Rams take care of Rams, and that also means Rams take care of themselves.

Take care of yourself and each other,

Lynn Johnson

Vice President for University Operations

Thursday, March 1, email sent to students

Feeling overwhelmed or worried about someone else? We can help

Dear Students,

It is easy to romanticize the college experience as the best time of your life. That said, it’s also an experience full of complexities, change and challenge. For some students, the college years can include intense struggles with anxiety, depression and stress.

Some students may feel isolated during those experiences or believe they are the only ones dealing with these feelings. They aren’t. You are not alone.

Tragically, our campus has experienced the loss of students and employees to suicide this academic year. Suicide is a very complicated act and we are often left without clear answers. However, one thing is certain; the pain a person experiences when struggling with suicidal thoughts or a mental health issue is not permanent. There are resources, and treatments can help.

Thankfully, many students at CSU seek help when they face a crisis or when they feel depressed, anxious or any other number of emotions. If you are struggling with emotions that make it difficult for you to connect to others, make it to class, experience happiness, or be engaged with friends and family, please reach out to university resources. In fact, hundreds of students take advantage of university resources to help them navigate difficult times.

(Having trouble viewing this graphic? visit https://source.colostate.edu/mental-health-crisis-support-efforts/)

If you sense that someone you know is struggling, please help them by telling key university offices that you’re concerned.

• As always, if there is an immediate risk of someone hurting themselves or others, immediately call 911 from any location. If you are on campus, immediately tell the dispatcher that you are on campus and then your campus location.
• Tell Someone: A university service where anyone can share if they are concerned about a student or employee. The university follows up to help make sure that the student or employee who may be having a difficult time get connected to support. Visit tellsomeone.colostate.edu or call during business hours 970-491-1350.
• Health Network Counseling Center: Your student fees pay up to five individuals sessions each semester at no additional charge. Visit health.colostate.edu or call 970-491-6053.
• Student Case Management: Helps students navigate a personal crisis, as well as help students understand and get the most out of campus and community resources, ranging from assistance finding emergency housing to helping communicate to faculty and instructors when extenuating circumstances prevent students from attending classes. Visit studentcasemanagement.colostate.edu or call 970-491-8051.
• Residence Life and Apartment Life: Students who live on campus are encouraged to reach out to their residence hall and apartment life staff for assistance.

We want you to know that reaching out for help for yourself or someone else is the first step to feeling better. Rams take care of Rams, and that also means Rams take care of themselves.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Blanche Hughes

Vice President for Student Affairs

Feb 16 message to campus: CSUPD asking for assistance identifying potential victims

CSUPD is asking for the public’s assistance in identifying several individuals who may have unknowingly been victims of a string of criminal incidents on campus between April 2017 and January 2018.

“These individuals are not under investigation,” said CSUPD Chief Scott Harris. “We want to talk with them to make them aware of the incident they may have experienced, and to gather more information that may help us with our ongoing investigation.”

While a suspect has been charged in this investigation, because the investigation is ongoing CSUPD is not releasing additional information about the nature of the crimes or the suspect.

If you are one of the individuals identified by these photos, or if you know who one or several of the individuals are, please contact CSUPD at 970-491-6425 and ask to speak with Sgt. Ramsey Crochet.

Jan 29, 2018: Robbery near campus

Update 3:10 p.m. All Clear:  The suspect in the armed robbery of Mulligans has been taken into custody by police. No ongoing threat.

Original message sent Monday, January 29, 2018 3:02 PM

Fort Collins police are currently investigating an armed robbery  that occurred at 2:23 p.m. at Mulligans at 2439 South College Ave, in the shopping center at Drake and College.

The suspect is described as a black male with a goatee in his 20s, with a medium build, about 6 feet tall, wearing a black sweater. He was armed with a handgun. He was last seen running southbound through the parking lot in front of the restaurant.

If you see someone who matches his description, please call 911 immediately.

At this time, the south and main campuses are NOT on lockdown, but caution advised