Safety & security

Call 911 (8-911 from campus phones) for emergency medical, fire or law enforcement services. For non-emergencies, call:

Northwestern has an Emergency Response Team in place, with policies and procedures to follow in the event of natural or man-made disasters—including health crises such as a flu or other illness outbreak.

The NWC Alert Notification System enables college officials to send emergency messages via the college's website, email, text and social media. All campus email addresses and office phones are automatically sent emergency notifications. Individuals who have registered their cell phone numbers with Northwestern—and have not opted out of emergency notification—will also receive text and phone messages. The alert will provide notification and instructions. The system is also tied into the National Weather Service so hazardous weather warnings are automatically sent out by the NWS.

Northwestern publishes an annual Security Report in accordance with federal and state law. All students, prospective students, parents, faculty and staff are encouraged to read the report, which contains information important for personal safety and security, including:

• A description of Northwestern's safety and security policies
• A three-year history of all crimes reported to campus or law enforcement officials, per the federal government’s Clery Act
• Information about sexual assault, including what to do if you are sexually assaulted, how to report a sexual assault, and how Northwestern will respond to a report of a sexual assault
• Directions for where to find information about sex offenders in Sioux County and the state of Iowa
• Information on our missing persons policy
• Recommendations for personal safety and protecting your personal property

Download the annual Security Report

Northwestern publishes an annual Fire Safety Report in accordance with federal law. All students, prospective students, parents, faculty and staff are encouraged to read the report, which contains campus fire safety practices and standards, including:

• Statistics for each on-campus housing facility during the most recent calendar years for which data is available that include: the number of fires and the cause of each fire, the number of injuries related to each fire that result in treatment at a medical facility, the number of deaths related to each fire, and the value of property damage caused by each fire
• A description of each on-campus student housing facility's fire safety and sprinkler system
• The number of regular mandatory supervised fire drills
• The policies or rules on portable electrical appliances, smoking and open flames, such as candles
• The procedures for evacuation
• The policies regarding fire safety education and training programs provided to students, faculty and staff
• Plans for future improvements in fire safety, if determined necessary by the institution

  Download the annual Fire Safety Report

Northwestern has a quick reference guide for responding in the event that there’s an active shooter on campus. You must be logged in to MyNWC to access it.