Dear Tulane Community:

As we eagerly await the return of our students to a new semester and new year, we wanted to update you on Tulane’s ongoing and extensive security efforts.

It does not appear that any Tulane students or current faculty or staff were among the victims of the heinous New Year’s Day terrorist attack in the French Quarter and there is no ongoing threat to the Tulane community. We have, however, stepped up, even further, the already increased and robust measures in place to keep our university community safe.

Perhaps the most significant new security enhancement we will implement this semester will be a vast increase in the number of university buildings that will be only accessible via the use of a Tulane-issued Splash Card ID. These locations will include, but not be limited to:

Establishing Splash Card access university-wide will allow us to create a more secure physical campus and align our uptown safety efforts with those of our downtown campus and the National Primate Research Center, which already operate as Splash Card access-only areas. It will also reflect the best safety practices that have been adopted by many universities throughout the country.

Given the increase in the number of Splash Card-access only buildings, students, faculty and staff should carry their Splash Cards at all times. It is also vital that no member of the Tulane community who has entered a card access-only building give entry to anyone who does not have a valid Splash Card-ID. 

In addition to building security, there will also be increased patrols by the Tulane University Police Department, on and off campus, state-of-the-art video monitoring/surveillance within Tulane properties and in surrounding neighborhoods, enhanced campus and street lighting, personal and virtual police escorts, shuttle services and more. Stakeholders from across all of our campuses will also continue to assess our security protocols with input from national experts to ensure that we are following best practices for a safe and secure campus environment.

As part of our security protocol we will continue to hold accountable anyone who breaks the law or violates university policies. We encourage any student, faculty or staff member to file a Concerns Report here if they witness or experience such behavior. If you are the victim or a witness of criminal behavior or experience something that requires immediate attention, we urge you to contact the Tulane University Police Department at 504-865-5911. We also encourage everyone to download Everbridge, the university's emergency mass communications system and campus safety app here.

Besides our own focus on protecting the Tulane community, federal, state and local agencies have also greatly increased security throughout New Orleans, especially downtown. The expertise and cooperation of these agencies allowed the city to host a safe and successful Allstate Sugar Bowl, one of the nation’s most iconic college football games, just one day after the attack. Security has also been heightened to historic levels for the Mardi Gras parade season, which kicks off tonight and the upcoming Super Bowl LIX, which will be played Feb. 9 in the Caesars Superdome. 

The university that students, faculty and staff are returning to this semester will likely be the most secure in Tulane’s history. As part of our commitment to provide all Tulanians with the safest, most supportive environment possible in which to live, work, learn and grow, we invite you to share any questions or concerns you have with us. 

Kirk Bouyelas
AVP of Public Safety & Community Engagement