Ben-Gurion University is committed to the safety of it's students and considers them to be the top priority in the development of security standards and procedures.
Ben-Gurion University security personnel are stationed throughout the campuses and adjoining facilities, such as the dorms and the sports complex. All areas connected with the university are patrolled round-the-clock by security guards.
The university's security department receives regular updates from Israeli Government Agencies regarding current security risks and procedures. The International Center is kept up-to-date on all security issues and receives copies of all official security documents and communications.
Overseas Student Programs Office
All students entering the university through the Ginsburg-Ingerman Overseas Student Programs Office (OSP) are provided with a security orientation session delivered by the Head of the Security Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev. As well, each student is required to carry a mobile phone supplied by a local provider and register all their travels with the OSP office staff. Students are also provided with the direct cell phone numbers of all OSP staff, including the administrative director and the student counselors. In addition, one counselor is located within the student dormitory complex, in order to ensure that students have access to a staff member nearby in cases of emergency.
The administrative director of the OSP provides updated security briefings throughout the semester, with the input of the University's security division. S/he is also in regular contact with the American Embassy concerning security in Israel and throughout the region.
Every study tour or trip organized by the OSP must be pre-approved by the University’s security division. All excursions are then accompanied by an armed guard and a medic.
Entrance to the Campus
Ben-Gurion University campuses and dorms are enclosed facilities with security personnel stationed at all entrances, be them pedestrian or automobile, 24 hours a day.
All visitors to the campus are required to present a form of identification upon entry and submit their personal bags for a search. Individuals entering the campus in a personal vehicle are required to receive advance authorization for entry and be aware that each vehicle entering the campus may undergo a thorough inspection before being allowed entry.
Unidentified Objects
All unidentified objects discovered in the vicinity of the campus, whose owners cannot be found, are to be considered suspicious and reported to security personnel. Students and Staff are instructed not to touch the unidentified object. Security will then cordon off the area and evacuate all student and staff until the object has been contained and the threat has been dispersed.
Evacuation Procedures
In times where the security of BGU personnel can no longer be guaranteed, the top priority is to first evacuate all international students and visitors from the central campus in Be'er Sheva and to ensure that they can continue their studies in a safe location.
Evacuation plans depend on the security event in question but generally occur in the following order:
1) International Students are transferred to either the Sde Boker or Eilat Campus and instructors and staff from the International Office regularly commute or get relocated along with the students, depending on the security event in question
2) Ben-Gurion University has evacuation agreements set up with all major universities in Israel, so in outstanding cases, international students will be transferred to a university designated as being located in a safe area and their studies will continue from there.
