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ID Requirements for visiting TC Academic Buildings and Residential Halls

Academic Buildings and general access

Below are the general access guidelines for entrance into Teachers College (TC) Academic Buildings, Residential Halls, and the campus library (Gottesman Library).

Access to TC academic buildings is through the Main Entrance at the Zankel Building at 525 West 120th Street. Valid photo identification must be shown to the public safety officer at the Zankel desk to be issued a visitor pass and gain entry to the academic buildings

Valid forms of ID; Teachers College ID card
Valid ID card from affiliated institutions, including; Columbia University (CU), Barnard College, Union Theological, or Jewish Theological seminaries.
Valid government-issued ID (including city/state ID cards, driver's license, or Passport).

Limited Access entries points:

528 Building entrance, adjacent to the Public Safety booth on W 120th Street

Students, staff, and faculty of TC or CU-affiliated institutions (including Barnard College) are allowed to enter the campus through this point.
Must present a valid ID card at the PS booth.
Visitors must use the main entrance

Hours of operation: Monday - Thursday, 7:30 A.M. to 9:30 P.M.; Friday, 7:30 AM to 6:00 PM.

This entrance is closed on weekends and holidays.

Grace Dodge Hall entrance (West 121st. Street)

Must present a valid ID card.
TC residential students, and affiliated institution students, residing at Teachers College.
Visitors must use the main entrance

Accessible between 6:45 A.M. to 1:00 A.M. A valid TC ID card is required to access this entrance.

TC academic buildings, and the dining hall, are generally not open to the public; however, non-affiliated visitors may enter the College for specific events that are open to the public or as a guest of a member of the College community. Visitor restrictions apply.

Residential Halls

Guests are permitted to enter the residential hall when visiting or accompanied by the student resident of the building. The following are the guidelines for residential visitor access;

The student must have a valid Teachers College / Columbia University ID
The student must be a resident of the building the guest is accessing
Student residents must meet the guest in the lobby in order for the guest to be permitted access

Guests

Visitors to a residential hall must show a valid governmental photo ID (See general access)
Must be accompanied by their resident host
Student residents, along with their guests, will be signed in
Visitors have limited access to the campus.
Guests are generally not permitted to stay with the resident longer than 48 hours. Contact your Community Assistant (CA) or Residential Services for further information.

A valid Teachers College ID card must be presented at an access control reader or to a Public Safety Officer when entering any campus building.

Teachers College community members who do not have their Teachers College ID card, when entering campus, must show a valid picture ID (e.g., driver’s license), sign in, and receive a Visitor Pass.

All students, faculty, and staff are encouraged to wear their Teachers College or affiliate institution ID card on their outermost garment when on campus. Visitors are required to wear their Public Safety-issued Visitor Pass on their outermost garment while on campus.

Access to Gottesman Library

Access to the Gottesman Libraries is through the main entrance at Zankel Hall. Access to the Library is restricted to the students/staff/faculty of Teachers College Columbia University and their guests. For more information, visit: https://library.tc.columbia.edu/about/policies-and-guidelines/access-policy/

***Teachers College and Teachers College Public Safety reserves the right to deny entry/access to anyone who may pose a threat or who acts in a threatening or unruly manner (verbal or otherwise) or causes a health risk or any other manner that may cause alarm or injury to members of the TC community.

Lost and Found

TC Public Safety is the central repository for valuables found by members of the TC community. Our lost and found function keeps items safe and secure, and we proactively work to return belongings to their owners promptly when feasible.

If you have lost an item, please email us at publicsafety@tc.columbia.edu for assistance. You can also call us at 212-678-3333 24hrs a day, seven days a week, to arrange to pick up lost items.

If you find a lost item at TC, please turn the item in to a uniformed TC Campus Public Safety Officer or bring the item directly to the lobby of Whittier Hall 24/7 or the closest Public Safety post on campus. Please note that items received by Lost and Found will be kept by TC Public Safety for 90 days, after which they will be removed from inventory and discarded.

Examples of Accepted Items

Mobile Devices / Laptops / Tablets
MP3 players / iPods / portable speakers
Wallets / Purses
Eyewear
Backpacks
Keys
Jewelry
Textbooks
Items having ownership information

Examples of Items not Accepted

Clothing items
Water bottles
Perishable items / Food
Flammable items (lighters, vape pens, etc.)
Small recreational items (soccer balls, frisbees, baseballs, etc.)
Personal grooming items (combs, brushes, bows, ribbons, scrunchies, etc.)
Intentionally abandoned property (electronic equipment that obviously does not work, damaged furniture, items placed by trash containers for disposal, etc.)
Umbrellas

* This is not a complete list of all items Public Safety will accept and inventory in lost and found. Please also note Items may be stored and maintained longer at the discretion of Public Safety management.

Shuttle Service and Public Transportation

Columbia Transportation Intercampus and Evening Shuttle Services

Teachers College students, faculty, and staff have free access to Columbia Transportation's Intercampus and Evening Shuttle Bus Services that serve the campuses in the Morningside Heights area. This service is free of charge to members of the Teachers College Community with a valid TC ID card. You can access the shuttle from the Main entrance to the college on 120th St. Service times are posted in front of the campus.

For more information, visit:

Columbia Transportation Shuttle Services

Know your timetables to avoid long waits – especially if you are alone.
Avoid empty subway cars.
Late at night, buses are safer than subways. Sit close to the bus driver.
Plan your route in advance. At night, do not get off a bus or subway in a neighborhood you are not familiar with.
Try to avoid isolated bus or subway stops.
Keep your handbag and personal property in front of you and hold it close to your body.
Don’t open your purse or wallet while boarding the bus.
Stay alert and be aware of the people around you.

For your conveience, there are links listed below to several of the major transportation providers in the NYC metropolitan area. Use these links to access the web site of your service provider.

Metropolitan Transit Administration (MTA) New York City Bus and subway mta.info
Long Island Rail Road Rail service into Long Island, including Nassau and Suffolk Counties. mta.info/lirr
NJ Transit. Bus and Rail service into New Jersey njtransit.com
Path Trains. Rail service fron Penn Station to Jersey City and Hoboken NJ. panynj.gov/path
Port Authority (Train, Bus and plane) panynj.gov

TC's Protection of Minors Program

Teachers College is committed to protecting the safety and well-being of minors who participate in programs and activities sponsored or co-sponsored by TC.

General Information:

TC ensures the protection of minors through its youth protection program, overseen by the Office of Public Safety, and the issuance of the Protection of Minors Policy. The Protection of Minors program and practices allow TC to effectively manage current and new programs, training, staff, authorized adults, and participants to ensure compliance with policy requirements. Those registering programs and activities should review the College Sponsored & Co-Sponsored Program guidance for hosting Minors and the corresponding policies and training. For more information, please review TC's Protection of Minors Policy and the supporting documents below.

At Teachers College, we are committed to safeguarding minors participating in both College-sponsored and Co-sponsored programs. Our policy applies to all events and programs involving unaccompanied minors under the age of 18, ranging from 1-day events to year-long programming, both in-person and virtually. This policy does not apply to minors who are accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Recommended First Steps:

If you will have minors attending your event or program without a parent or guardian present, the first step is to reach out to our Public Safety Team to schedule a brief check-in meeting with their office and the Office of General Counsel. Please email protectionofminors@tc.columbia.edu to schedule.
We strongly recommend starting your preparations well in advance, ideally 30-45 days prior to your event or program.

College-Sponsored vs. Co-Sponsored Programs

There are two options to register your event or program. Sponsored programs are those fully organized by the College, while Co-sponsored programs are hosted in partnership with external organizations. Both types of programs require adherence to our safety guidelines. Please note that before any event, it is crucial to get signed approval from both your Department Chair and the Provost's Office on the registration form. This is a mandatory step for both College-sponsored and Co-sponsored programs.

For Co-sponsored events, please be aware of additional Certificate of Insurance requirements, both for DOE and non-DOE organizations.

Authorized Adults:

In order to become an Authorized Adult in line with Teachers College's Minors Policy, please see the steps below. These steps apply to all faculty and staff as well, and must be renewed every 5 years.

Complete a background check
NYS Mandated Reporter training - approx 1.5-2 hours; a copy of the certificate of completion will need to be provided.
Signed Training Manual

Please view the checklist below to ensure compliance with TC’s Minors policy. Policy forms and templates are linked at the bottom of the page.

PoM Website Infographics 2

Policy and Forms:

Protection of Minors Policy
Registration Forms
- College Sponsored Programs
- Co-Sponsored and Non-Sponsored Programs
Authorized Adults
Certificate of Insurance (COI)
- DOE template
- Non-DOE template
TC Parent/Guardian Permission Slip Template
Safety and Emergency Evacuation Template

What to do if you are the victim of a crime

If you are the victim of a crime, TC Public Safety urges you to call 911 as soon as it is safe to do so.

How to Report a Crime

This section provides information about how to report a crime in progress or a crime that has already happened. If you are in immediate danger, please call 911. You can report a crime and receive assistance from the police regardless of your age or immigration status.
Learn more about the rights of crime victims

Crimes in Progress or Just Witnessed

If a crime is in progress, or you have just witnessed or experienced a crime, try to get to safety first.

Call 911 immediately and try to stay calm.
Be alert of your surroundings and try to make mental notes.
When talking to the 911 dispatcher, keep in mind the following:
- The first question you will be asked is, "Where is your emergency?"
  - Give the dispatcher as specific an address as possible.
  - If you don't know the exact address, try to provide street names or identify landmarks around you. It is extremely important to provide as much detail about your location as possible.
- Is anyone hurt?
  - Let the dispatcher know if anyone requires medical assistance.
- Make note of the physical characteristics of the victim or perpetrator, including such details as height, weight, race, hair color, eye color, tattoos, or scars.
- Make note of the clothing worn by the victim or perpetrator, including the type of clothing and color.
- Are the people involved on foot or in a car?
- Are there weapons involved?
Do not destroy evidence that could assist police, including any objects or clothing that could have fingerprints, hair, skin, blood, or semen on them.

All 911 calls can be connected to a translator if foreign language assistance is needed. Do not make prank calls to 911. Prank 911 calls, which take dispatchers away from callers whose lives might be in danger, are punishable by law.

Crimes NOT In Progress

Depending on where the crime occurred, you may report the crime to agencies such as the MTA police, NY State Police, or Port Authority Police, if the location of the crime falls within their respective jurisdictions. Otherwise, for certain report types, you can file an online police report or you can visit your local precinct.

Sexual Violence Crimes

Victims of sexual violence should call 911 if they are in immediate danger; otherwise, they should call the NYPD Special Victims Division 24-hour hotline at 646-610-7272.

To Submit Tips about a Crime

If you have information or a tip about a crime that may lead to the arrest of a criminal, or assist law enforcement in its investigation of a crime, contact Crime Stoppers. Crime Stoppers allows you to submit information and tips anonymously.

How to access the TC campus as a visitor

How to recover lost or missing valuables

How TC community members can access Columbia University's walking safety escort program

How TC community members can access Columbia University's shuttle services and NYC transportation

Learn about TC's Protection of Minors Program

Learn what to do if you have been the victim of a crime

Learn how to report a Missing Student and access TC's Missing Student Notification Policy

How to contact Public Safety and other on-campus safety resources

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