Combined 2024 Annual Security Report

September 2, 2025

Introduction

This report is provided in compliance with the Jeanne Clery Disclosure of Campus Security Policy and Crime Statistics Act, as amended (“Clery Act”). It provides students and employees of Research College of Nursing (“RCoN” or “College”) with information on: the College’s security arrangements, policies, and procedures; programs that provide education on such things as drug and alcohol abuse, awareness of various kinds of sex offenses, and the prevention of crime generally; and procedures the College will take to notify the campus community in the event of an emergency. Its purpose is to provide students and employees with information that will help them make informed decisions relating to their own safety and the safety of others.

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Policy for preparing the annual report

This report is prepared by Glenna Mahoney DNP, RN, Provost and Nikki Flagler Title IX Coordinator, in cooperation with Research Medical Center’s Safety and Security Department, campus security authorities, and various other elements of the College. Each year, an email notification is made to all enrolled students that provides the website to access this report. Faculty and staff receive similar notifications. Hard copies of the report may also be obtained by contacting Nikki Flagler at (816) 276-3147.

The College is committed to taking actions necessary to provide a safe and secure working/learning environment for all students and staff. As a member of the campus community, you can feel safe and comfortable knowing that security measures are in place that represent best practices in the field and are constantly tested and re-evaluated for their effectiveness.

Policies concerning the law enforcement authority of Campus Security personnel

Research Medical Center’s Safety and Security Department (“Security Department”) is responsible for campus safety at the College. Its jurisdiction covers all campus property. The Security Department patrols the campus with routine building and parking lot checks. Security Department staff are commissioned law enforcement officers, carry weapons, and have arrest authority. The Security Department has a longstanding working relationship with local law enforcement agencies, including the Kansas City Police Department, which assists the Security Department staff. While there is no written memorandum of agreement, the Security Department staff contacts Kansas City Police to investigate any alleged criminal activity that occurs on campus. In addition, senior Security Department staff meet quarterly with the Kansas City Police Department to address any issues or concerns and to share information. The Security Department can be contacted at (816) 276-4411.

Other officials to whom crimes may be reported

The College has also designated other officials to serve as additional campus security authorities. Reports of criminal activity can also be made to these officials. They, in turn, will ensure that they are reported to the Campus Security staff for collection as part of the College’s annual report of crime statistics. These additional campus security officers are:

• Amy Townsend, EdD, MSN, RN, CNE, President (816) 823-0505
• Glenna Mahoney, Provost, (816) 823-0503
• Nikki Flagler, Student Services Specialist, (816) 276-3147
• Richard Bowers, Director of Security, (816) 276-4403

Policies on reporting a crime or emergency

The College encourages accurate and prompt reporting of all criminal actions, accidents, injuries, or other emergencies occurring on campus to the Security Department and appropriate police agencies even when the victim of a crime elects not to do so or is unable to make such a report. Such reports should be made as follows:

• Situations that pose an imminent danger or while a crime is in progress should be reported to local law enforcement by calling 911. Keep in mind that the individual making the call from a cell phone will need to provide the address where the emergency has occurred. After making the 911 call, also make a report to one of the campus security officers or the Security Department (816) 276-4411 identified above.
• Students, staff, and visitors should report criminal actions, accidents, injuries, or other emergency incidents to one of the campus security authorities identified above. Once reported, the individual making the report will be encouraged to also report it to appropriate police agencies. If requested, a member of the College staff will assist a student in making the police report.
• Anonymous incident reports can also sometimes be made.

The College has no officially recognized student organizations with off-campus locations. However, if criminal activity occurs while students are attending school-sponsored events or training off campus, the reporting procedures are the same as those stated above.

Additionally, upon written request, the College will disclose to the alleged victim of a crime of violence (as that term is defined in Section 16 of Title 18, United States Code), or a non-forcible sex offense, the report on the result of an disciplinary proceeding conducted by the College against a student who is the alleged perpetrator of such a crime or offense. If the alleged victim is deceased as a result of such a crime or offense, the next of kin of such victim shall be treated as the alleged victim for purposes of this paragraph.

Confidential reporting

The College will protect the confidentiality of victims. Only those with a need-to-know the identity for purposes of investigating the crime, assisting the victim, or disciplining the perpetrator will know the victim’s identity. Moreover, when requested, the College will withhold the identity of victims in public available records, to the extent permitted by law.

Any victim of a crime who does not want to pursue action within the College disciplinary system or the criminal justice system is nevertheless encouraged to make a confidential report to a campus security authority. With the victim’s permission, a report of the details of the incident can be filed without revealing the victim’s identity. Such a confidential report complies with the victim’s wishes, but still helps the College take appropriate steps to ensure the future safety of the victim and others. With such information, the College can keep an accurate record of the number of incidents involving students, determine where a pattern of crime may be developing and alert the community as to any potential danger. These confidential reports are counted and disclosed in the annual crime statistics for the College.

The College encourages pastoral counselors and other professional counselors, if and when they deem it appropriate, to inform the persons they are counseling to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual report of crime statistics.

The College encourages pastoral counselors and other professional counselors, if and when they deem it appropriate, to inform the persons they are counseling to report crimes on a voluntary, confidential basis for inclusion in the annual report of crime statistics.

Educational programs related to security awareness and prevention of criminal activity

RCoN seeks to enhance the security of its campus and the members of the campus community by periodically presenting educational programs to inform students and employees about campus security procedures and practices, to encourage students and employees to be responsible for their own security and the security of others, and to inform them about the prevention of crimes. A description of these programs and their frequency of presentation follows:

• New faculty and staff participate in a mandatory orientation which includes a 30-minute presentation from the Research Medical Center Security staff. The Research Medical Center Security staff serves as the campus security for the College. Significant changes to security procedures and policies may either be communicated by email or presentation at faculty/staff meetings.
• The Campus Security staff will provide an educational presentation to students who are new to the College campus at the beginning of their first semester (August or January). Educational presentations are provided to all students to update them on changes to the procedures and practices, when necessary.
• As noted above, security and safety procedures are shared with new and continuing students at the beginning of each academic year. The Catalog/Student Handbook is reviewed with attention to the section “Safety and Security.” This includes encouraging students to be alert to security situations and to assist the school in preventing crimes from occurring through awareness and communication. Student organizations are highly encouraged to develop and present their own crime prevention programs for other students and staff.
• Employees and students are informed about the prevention of crimes through written communication from the College administration via campus postings, email distributions, internet postings, and bulletin boards. During annual security updates, emphasis is placed on faculty, staff, and students’ roles in prevention of crimes.

Building security

The College is a private institution and reserves the right to restrict access and movement on its grounds to staff, students, patients, visitors, and others who are conducting business on site. Campus buildings are generally open at 6:30AM Monday through Friday. Closing times vary according to after-hours activities, but doors are locked approximately 15 minutes after scheduled activities have ceased. Personnel requiring entrance door keys are placed on an authorized access list. Entrance door keys are of the registered type and cannot be duplicated at hardware stores or unauthorized lock shops.

All buildings have security coverage seven days a week during the entire time the building is open. In all campus buildings, maintenance staff and Campus Security are on call 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Students and employees are asked to be alert and to not circumvent practices and procedures that are meant to preserve their safety and that of others:

• Do not prop doors open or allow strangers into campus buildings that have been secured.
• Do not lend keys or access cards to non-students and do not leave them unattended.
• Do not give access codes to anyone that does not belong to the campus community.

Keys to faculty and staff offices, conference rooms, and classrooms will be issued to employees only as needed and after receiving the proper authorization. Each faculty, staff, and student is responsible for assuring these areas are secured and locked.

The campus community must adhere to policies regarding unauthorized access to school facilities, theft of, or damage to, school property, or criminal activity. In particular, rendering inoperable or abusing any fire prevention or detection equipment is prohibited violation of these policies may lead to disciplinary action, up to and including termination, removal from school, and the filing of charges with law enforcement authorities.

Employee and student identification cards serve to verify the identity of individuals and help ensure authorized access to campus facilities. While on RCoN property, employees and students must visibly display their identification cards. When an individual no longer needs to access RCoN’s facilities, their building access privileges are deactivated, and their identification cards and any distributed keys are collected by the College.

Security considerations in the maintenance of facilities

Security is also a consideration in maintaining campus facilities. For example, maintenance personnel regularly check to ensure pathways are well lighted and that egress lighting is working in hallways and stairwells. They also check to ensure door locks are functional and that landscaping does not affect pathways or otherwise pose a security risk for those passing by. If College administration is made aware of a security issue in campus facilities, they ensure maintenance is quickly contacted and the situation is addressed.

Timely warnings

In the event of criminal activity occurring either on campus or off campus, that the Provost and/or the Emergency Response Team determine constitutes an ongoing or continuing threat, a campus-wide “timely warning” will be issued. For example, a series of motor vehicle thefts or sexual assaults in the area that present a continuing threat to the campus community would merit such a warning. The Provost and/or Campus Security Director will communicate this warning to students and employees via College email, and through text messaging for those who have opted in.

Anyone with information warranting a timely warning should immediately report the circumstances to the Provost and/or Campus Security Director.

Emergency response and evacuation procedures

The College is part of the larger Research Medical Center (“RMC”) comprehensive emergency management plan. This plan ensures a timely and effective response to significant emergencies or dangerous situation occurring on campus that pose an immediate threat to the health or safety of the campus community. These situations include, but are not limited to, tornadoes, bomb threats, chemical spills, disease outbreaks, or armed intruders. Emergency procedures for such situations as tornadoes and fires are located in the Catalog/Student Handbook.

RCoN and the RMC Campus Security staff have requested cooperation from the Kansas City Police Department to inform the College of situations reported to them that may warrant emergency response. Students, staff, and visitors are encouraged to notify the Campus Security ((816) 276-4411) and Provost ((816) 823-0503), and President ((816) 823-0505) and or the Student Services Specialist ((816) 276-3147) of any situation that poses such a threat. The Provost will confirm the existence of the danger by accessing available information from campus administrative staff and local authorities. They will then be responsible for initiating the College’s response and marshaling the appropriate local emergency response authorities for assistance. Other College offices may be involved in the confirmation process, depending on the nature of the emergency.

Once the emergency is confirmed, the College community, or appropriate segments will be notified without delay. The Provost, in collaboration with other relevant personnel, will determine who should be notified, establish the content of the notification, and initiate the notification system. This notification may be delayed only if, in the professional judgement of responsible authorities, it would compromise efforts to assist a victim, or to contain, respond to, or otherwise mitigate the emergency.

The content of emergency notifications may vary depending on the specific campus segments being targeted. When appropriate, this content will be determined in consultation with RMC Security and the Kansas City Police Department. Notifications will also provide guidance on whether recipients should shelter in place or evacuate.

The Provost will direct the issuance of emergency notifications, primarily through email blasts to College email accounts and text messages for those who have opted in. The method used will depend on the nature of the threat and the segment of the campus community.

The College identifies three distinct campus segments, each with tailored emergency notification protocols:

• Main Building (2525 East Meyer Boulevard): This building serves as the primary campus hub, housing faculty and staff offices, classrooms, and the Simulation Center. Students, faculty, and staff are typically in this building during normal business hours. Emergency notifications for this segment are delivered via blast email, text messaging (for those who've opted in), and direct personal communication when appropriate.
• RCoN Spaces within Research Medical Center (2316 E. Meyer Blvd): Located on the B-Level of Research Medical Center, this segment includes labs, classrooms, the Student Center, the Student Commons. Students, faculty, and staff are generally in this area during normal business hours. Emergency notifications for this segment are sent through blast email to College accounts, text messaging (for those who've opted in), and direct personal communication if appropriate.
• Brookside Campus (6601 Rockhill Road): This building is primarily used for group testing and exams. It operates only on specific testing days and times and is monitored by College faculty. Emergency notifications for the Brookside Campus are sent via blast email to College accounts, text messaging (for those who've opted in), and direct personal communication when appropriate.

Since RCoN is part of the RMC Campus, the RMC Marketing and Public Relations Department will disseminate information to the general public. Depending on the situation, RMC Public Relations staff will provide information to the local news media. Additionally, the RMC Vice President for Community Affairs may share information with local neighborhood associations and public schools.

Missing person procedures

If a member of the College community has reason to believe that a student is missing, that information should be reported immediately to the Provost. Anyone receiving a missing person report will immediately notify the RMC Security Department and an investigation will be initiated.

If a student has identified an individual, the College will notify a general emergency contact person no later than 24 hours after the student is determined to be missing. A student’s confidential contact information will be accessible only by authorized campus officials and law enforcement in furtherance of the investigation. This information can be found in the student’s personal file.

After investigating a missing person report, if it is determined that the student has been missing for 24 hours, the College will notify local police authorities unless local law enforcement has already made this determination. If the missing student is under the age of 18 and not emancipated, the College will also notify the student’s parent or legal guardian once the student has been determined to missing for 24 hours.

The statistical summary of the above crimes and offenses for this campus over the past three calendar years follows:

Arson

Criminal homicide: Manslaughter by negligence

Criminal homicide: Murder and non-negligent manslaughter

Sex offenses – forcible

Sex offenses – non-forcible

Rape

Fondling

Incest

Statutory rape

Robbery

Aggravated assault

Burglary

Motor vehicle theft

Domestic violence

Dating violence

Stalking

Arrests: Weapons (carrying, possessing, etc)

Disciplinary referrals: Weapons (carrying, possessing, etc.)

Arrests: Drug abuse violations

Disciplinary referrals: Drug abuse violations

Arrests: Liquor law violations

Disciplinary referrals: Liquor law violations

• The College has had no hate crimes for the years 2022, 2023, and 2024.
• No crime reports were determined to be “unfounded” and subsequently removed from the summary of crime statistics chart above.