Eric Rauch, Director of Safety
Eric Rauch has been the Director of Safety at Florida Southern College since 2019. He began his career with the Polk County Sheriff's Office in 1988, and throughout his time there held the position of School Resource Lieutenant, Patrol Lieutenant, School Resource Sergeant, K9 Sergeant, Patrol Sergeant, Flight Observer, School Resource Deputy, Agricultural Deputy, and Traffic Homicide Investigator. After retiring in 2018, Mr. Rauch became the Director of Security for Mountain Lake Corporation, a 3,600-acre multi-use facility with private homes and public spaces. Today, he leads FSC’s Office of Safety and Security, leading 40 full- and part-time team members who serve as officers, dispatchers, transportation operators, safety specialists, and administrative personnel.
What is the best way for parents to stay apprised of the safety conditions on campus?
Parents who have opted into the campus alert system can expect that emergency alerts
will be shared with them. Parents can opt-in here.
If parents have a safety concern who should they contact?
Me. I have an open-door policy for students, and if parents have questions or concerns,
they can feel welcome to contact me directly erauch@flsouthern.edu or 863.680.4447.
If students don't receive the level of service expected, they should also contact me – customer service is our number one goal.
What campus resources should students be using to keep safe?
First and foremost, students should use the resources provided by our office, which
are available 24-hours a day, 7 days a week. We are located at the corner of South
Ingraham Ave. and Duke Place, adjacent to the heart of the campus’s residential area. We
provide:
- Door-to-door safety escorts
- A shuttle system for all outlying housing complexes and
- Shopping shuttles to local stores
We encourage all our student to save our number to their favorites: 863.680.4305.Students also should pay attention to emergency notification system alerts, which they are automatically signed up to receive. Aside from that, students should be aware of the emergency campus phones (blue phones) throughout campus, the Omnilert emergency app, building alarms, and our swipe access system.
All campus staff and faculty are partners in safety, so if students see something of concern, they should report it.
Describe the partnership Florida Southern College has with local law enforcement.
Through our partnership with the City of Lakeland, we have nine full-time police officers
assigned to Florida Southern, who watch over our campus 24 hours a day, seven days
a week, with added service to our off-campus housing.
These officers have build relationships with our students, which is crucial for creating a safer campus environment. When students feel comfortable and trust campus law enforcement, they are more likely to initiate reporting of safety concerns.
Additionally, it is only possible to protect the campus by protecting the neighborhoods in the immediate vicinity, so these officers patrol those areas, remediating potential problems before they ever reach campus.
As parents talk to their Mocs, is there any advice you wish they'd share?
Encourage students to call the Office of Safety and Security when needed; if they see something, they should say something. Our unit is here to
help students, and we welcome their input. Our student advisory board represents the
student body's interests and provides feedback. It takes the entire community to protect
the community. We work to ensure everyone feels at home on our beautiful campus.
