Harassing Phone Calls

Public Safety Department

Clarion University of Pennsylvania

Clarion, PA 16214-1232

(814) 393-2111

www.clarion.edu/publicsafety

Clarion University is an affirmative action equal opportunity employer.

    Annoying or harassing phone calls are a common problem on college campuses.  They are many times viewed as mere pranks.  State law and Public Safety consider it to be Harassment by Communication or Address, a Third Degree Misdemeanor offense.  The Pennsylvania Crimes Code considers the following to be Harassment by Communication or Address:

• Making phone calls without a legitimate purpose

• Repeatedly making anonymous phone calls

• Repeatedly phoning at extremely inconvenient hours

• Repeatedly phoning using offensive, course or obscene language

Harassment by Communication is punishable by imprisonment of up to one year and a fine of up to $2500.  If you begin receiving annoying or harassing phone calls, contact Public Safety.  An Officer will meet with you to discuss the situation and to determine the best course of action to be taken.  You will be asked to keep a log of your calls which would include information such as the date and time of each call, description of the caller's voice, what was said, background noises, etc.  Depending on the situation, Public Safety, with the assistance of Alltel, may be able to determine the origin of the calls.

The following suggestions are given for dealing with harassing calls:

• Never engage the caller in conversation
• Never answer personal questions or give out information to an unknown caller
• Unplug your phone if necessary
• Contact Public Safety at (814) 393-2111

Most harassing calls do not present a physical threat to the victim's safety.  The caller often knows the victim.  Occasionally the caller simply contacts victims randomly.  If you receive threatening or obscene calls, contact Public Safety immediately, even if you have already spoken with an officer.