You should ALWAYS have the right to feel safe working in a Learning Technologies lab and at the libraries. Be familiar with this policy in case it comes up for you. If a customer is ever rude to you or makes you feel uncomfortable:

1. Call/message Blake the Lab Operations Manager, or one of the student Managers.
2. If you cannot reach them or feel very threatened, call 911 from the Lab/Library phone, or your own phone if you feel it’s a safer option. See below for more details. The Police are here for your safety, so do not feel like you are inconveniencing them by calling, we all want you to feel safe.
3. ALWAYS email consmgr@ucsc.edu with the workstation number# of the customer in question, time of the incident, which lab, and a description of what happened, so staff or Police can follow up with the customer. Police want this information, as it’s usually not an isolated incident. They want to monitor the behavior of all “problem” people on campus.

Be aware that some of the common belligerent customer scenarios in the libraries include: 

• Singing along in raised voices with whatever they are viewing on the screen,
• Propping up stocking feet/bare feet on the tables at the computer workstations,
• Requiring an inordinate amount of help with software and personal documents.

Less commons scenarios include:

• Belligerent behavior
• Intoxication
• Arguments between community patrons
• Exposure to biohazards such as blood (very uncommon)

When encountering these situations in the libraries, consultants should immediately report it to the staff person working the Circulation/Reference desks. Also, if the student does not feel comfortable handling these issues, staff members are your best resource.

If you encounter these situations in a Lab, feel free to leave the Lab and contact Dispatch, the Lab Operations Manager or one of the Student Managers.

The library policy page is here: https://library.ucsc.edu/about/university-library-policies. These are the expectations for everyone using the building.

Calling 911:

If you feel threatened to the point that you want Police to respond but don’t feel comfortable letting the customer know you are calling the Police, use one of these options depending on the situation:

• Tell the customer you need to call a Learning Technologies staff but their number is on your cell phone and you don’t have reception in the lab/library. Step outside the lab and call 911, being specific with your location.
• Quietly ask another customer to call 911 for you (tell the customer you need to look something up on this other person’s computer to respond to the issue or check on something and ask them quietly).

Call 911 from the CAMPUS  PHONE and leave the phone off the hook. It helps Dispatch for you to leave verbal clues for them, as they will be following your conversation. As an example, “I am asking you to leave so you don’t upset the other customers using the Jack Baskin Computer lab”. Sounds goofy, but this enables them to respond quicker.