Phishing schemes and other cyber crimes
I hope everyone has read the various emails that have come from Rob Guissanie in IT related to scams. It is imperative we are all a little more inquisitive when it comes to emails and also online dating. I want to remind our student community again of the danger of sending intimate photos to someone you have never met in person. Sexual extortion is a crime in PA and like many internet-based crimes identifying the actual perpetrator for criminal prosecution is not always easy. Sharing these images can and has opened members of our community to be victimized. These perpetrators will request money and the request for money doesn’t stop to prevent leaking the images. Once the images are leaked and shared it is almost impossible to ever take them all down. No matter how trustworthy a person may seem, we encourage you to not share intimate photos with someone you have never met. We are also encouraging you to take some time before clicking a link, sending bank information, your social security number, to reach out to IT or Public Safety to verify if the email you have received is genuine.
SCAMS – Protect Yourself, Protect Your Money
February 6th Open Forum on Safety and Technology
We will host an open forum on February 6 at 12 noon in the ELC forum discussing Public Safety and Technology. Some of the topics that will be covered include:
- What is happening nationally around the intersection of tech and campus safety?
- How does PSAFE utilize AI and why?
- What systems does PSAFE oversee and what do they do?
- Emergency Alerts process at Bucknell
- Timely Warning vs Emergency notification
- Training
There will be an opportunity for questions, and we hope to both inform our community and receive feedback. As our world continues to rapidly change, we are committed to seeking proven solutions that enhance safety and act as a force multiplier.
End of Year Report
The 2025 end of year report is now complete. This report has been authored every year since 2023 and provides some additional data and context for our community. We hope you find this information informative and if you have any suggestions on information you want to see please let us know.
The report will be shared in an email to the community and eventually will appear on our website.
ICE
We have received several questions related to how or if we cooperate with ICE. The University general counsel created a webpage to answer many of these questions. The link to the webpage is below, and I wanted to share some additional information.
Does Bucknell Public Safety have the authority to enforce federal immigration laws on campus?
No. Enforcement of federal immigration laws rests with the federal government and not with Bucknell Public Safety officers. In accordance with Bucknell policy, Public Safety officers will not detain an individual, for any length of time, for a civil violation of federal immigration laws or based on a related civil warrant. Bucknell Public Safety officers would only be engaged in an immigration matter if federal agents presented a criminal warrant indicating probable cause that the individual named in the warrant has committed a crime. Furthermore, Bucknell policy confirms that contact with Public Safety officers will not lead to immigration inquiries or deportation activities.
Can Bucknell prevent federal officials from entering campus?
Generally, no. Campus spaces that are generally open to the public are also open to federal immigration enforcement officers.
However, federal immigration enforcement officers are not permitted to enter non-public spaces such as private offices, classrooms, spaces restricted by key card access and University residential facilities without consent or a criminal warrant.
While members of the University community are not required to affirmatively assist federal immigration officials nor grant permission to enter non-public spaces, federal law prohibits individuals from hiding evidence, concealing or hiding individuals who are the subject of law enforcement activity, or interfering with an arrest. Members of the University community should also never place themselves in physical danger.
Can federal immigration enforcement officers enter houses, residence halls or apartments without consent from occupants?
As a general rule, individuals have a reasonable expectation of privacy in their homes, regardless of whether the home is on- or off-campus. Federal immigration enforcement officers who are seeking to apprehend or deport an individual pursuant to a civil or administrative warrant do not have authority to enter an individual’s home without consent, and the occupant is not obligated to respond to questions or make statements. If a federal immigration enforcement officer has a criminal search or arrest warrant, the officer does not need consent to enter the premises or to arrest an individual named on a criminal warrant.