Advice to incoming freshmen on campus safety...
 

Anyone have any words of wisdom to potential rushees regarding safety on campus?

Always be aware of your surroundings. I come from a urban campus and at night they have a van that will come and pick you up at the building you're at and take you to anywhere on campus (parking lot/dorm). Don't be scared to go on your campus but also don't think nothing will happen to you.

LOCK YOUR LAPTOP when you're not in your room. In fact, I always suggest that Freshmen get desktop computers instead.

Guys: NO MEANS NO. Always. Just stop. And a yes when a girl has been drinking is STILL a no. Just walk away.

That's all I can think of right this second.

campus safety
 

Freshman should attend the dorm meetings that are held throughout the semester. Knowing what is going on in your surroundings is a good thing.

It would be wise to try to meet and get to know your campus police . It is always good to know what services that they have to offer , such as nightly shuttle services, safety forums, community events etc.

Just a small addition to this one. If you hold those keys with your hand in a fist, one key sticking out between each finger, they can be a good weapon.

Most campuses have Blue Emergency Light stations. Know where they are. Ususally there are enough that you can keep one in sight at all times.

If you are going to get drunk on campus be smart about it, don't trash the halls, don't give in to peer pressure, and don't do drugs.

Be careful who you choose as friends, boyfriends, or girlfriends.

Self Awareness is key. Know about any medical or health conditions you have and always have the necessary medication available with you at all times. Eat properly and understand where you can visit your campus clinic/health center. You can run from a creepy criminal type person but an untreated serious illness is hard to avoid and can significantly hinder your growth as a healthy individual and student.

Take a self-defense class. You'll hopefully never need to know what you learn in there, but if it could save your life, it'd certainly be worth it. Besides, it can be a fun way to release some tension and stress.

Don't leave a friend at a party. Do not leave a party with someone you just met.

And if you come to college never having been on a date, don't kiss and then sleep with the first person who shows you any attention. Remember what Grandma said, "Petting doesn't make you popular!" Have some self-respect and put the brakes on.

Putting the brakes on also applies to driving. The campus police are out to get you. Don't drink and drive and don't go speeding around campus. Be very aware of the slower MPH signs.

Drink in moderation. The senior next to you or your lush for a roommate may be able to chug back 6 beers as his pre-drink, but know that if you take shots or have a drink, it takes a little while to "kick in." Do not slam back more shots or beers thinking you need more to drink to look cool or get buzzed. And if you're underage, you should not be drinking.

This applies DOUBLE to Jello shots!! One night when I was manning the make-shift bar I told this girl that after 4 jello shots she needs to take it easy for awhile because they're all going to hit her at the same time in a half-hour or so. I found her later that night laying on the floor because she didn't listen.

And remember this saying: "Beer before liquor, never been sicker; Liquor before beer, you're in the clear." Realistically, you will probably drink if you're underage (probably more often than when you actually turn 21) so just try to think ahead. Hangovers are terrible and tomorrow is another day.

Freshmen women beware of the senior men. They are not interested in you for your mind :p

PAY ATTENTION when you're walking. If you feel uncomfortable go into a building. Don't worry about feeling stupid.

Don't get so absorbed in a phone call or reading notes or your plastic beer cup that you wouldn't know if someone was walking behind you.

Cell phones make you feel safer but chances are that a) the person you're talking to isn't close enough to help you if something happens and b)it'll be the first thing taken away from you by an attacker.

Use shuttles if they're available. They're warm in the winter.

If you're out drinking, go with someone you trust not to leave you. And be careful. You don't want to be passed out unconcious in a strangers room. At least not during your first week at school, ok? If you don't know your limits.. take it SLOW.

watch your cup! if you're drinking (anything) and have to put your cup down to dance / go to the restroom or whatever, count it as a loss.

when you plan to be gone for a while, let someone know where you're going. Leave a note for your roomie on your dry-erase board, or something so people know (1) where you are and (2) who you're with.

trust your instincts. if someone is creeping you out, LEAVE.

Have fun but be aware of your surroundings! good luck to all the incoming freshman.

If your campus has a campus safety escort service, USE IT. Better yet, volunteer for it and talk some of your friends into volunteering as well. Some campuses have begun to do semesterly or quarterly "safety walks" in which various office staff, students, RAs, campus police/security walk the campus and identify both safe routes and areas that need more security/lighting/etc. Go, and bring along your friends, hallmates, co-workers, sorority/fraternity sisters/brothers, etc. It's worth it.

It sucks to play into the rumors sometimes, but if there are places on campus that are rumored to be dangerous, especially at night, try to avoid them anyway. Better safe than sorry.

To add on to the "keep your keys out on the way to your car" comment- if you have classes that end after dark, make a friend in the class and make an agreement to leave together and stay together until you're safe in a car/dorm room/apartment, etc. Whether this means carpooling, walking to one person's car then driving the other to theirs, or whatever, you're better off spending a little extra time or gas money than worrying about safety.

If you commute and your campus doesn't allow you to park in "preffered" lots after hours (i.e. 4 or 5pm), petition to get that changed! My campus is notorious for being badly-lit and a haven for after-dark dangerous behavior (thus the reason for all the tips!), but something that helps is that students who have general parking (way out in the boonies mostly) can park in stff/faculty lots closer to buildings after 4pm. It helps a lot, especially for when upperclassmen have night courses.

I needed to highlight this one. USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM. Go with a group of friends, and agree, while you're all still sober, that you're not going to leave without everyone in the group. Particularly if you have been drinking, DO NOT ever leave with anyone of the opposite sex, even if you know them.

Women, to be safe--one drink an hour only. And that doesn't mean if you're going to be out for 5 hours you should drink 5 drinks in the first hour. You are responsible for protecting yourself, and you can't do that if you're drunk.

And women--get a HPV vaccination.

can you even GET an HPV vaccination? I've heard all kinds of crazy stats like 75% of humans have or will get HPV in their lifetime.

FRESHMEN GIRLS- Do NOT put out too much. I can't tell you how many freshmen girls wind up going on serial sex sprees until they get a reputation for being a slut and stop. By then it's too late.

Yes--Merch launched the vaccine for women, I believe at the end of 2005, and they are now trying to pread the word of its availability.

freaking Merck, that's incredible. Now if only they would get one for men! Condoms don't work!

I heard about a male birth control pill too, how funny is that

[quote=adpiucf;1293302]Don't leave a friend at a party. Do not leave a party with someone you just met.

In addition to this, think of the possibility of always having one person sober at all times, even if you aren't driving. Designated walkers (DW) instead of DDs are needed just as much. A group of drunk girls trying to walk across campus from a party is very difficult. Having atleast one sober person to get you all home, who can be alert and make sure you are all there is needed.

My roommate got left behind when walking home. It took us three hours to find her because she got confused and started walking the opposite direction of the dorms. All she did was take her shoes off and she couldn't see the group anymore. I'm just happy nothing bad happened to her.

Edited to add- I was at a large party school but no matter campus you are on you always need to be careful especially if you are drinking.

Where the hell do y'all live?

cosign on the campus escort services - they exist for a reason!

check out the local town/city paper for police reports as well as the campus paper. crimes that happen off campus (i.e. apartments or bars) aren't always reported in the school paper.


edited to add - i live in a fairly small college town in northwest ohio. it may seem "crazy" but bad things happen in small towns too. don't be fooled into a false sense of security because you go to a smaller school or don't live in the "big city"...

Crime definitely went up on campus as I neared graduation. Several women were assaulted, mostly in the dorms/apartments. I'd be at the library really late sometimes, and though the parking structure wasn't that far, I always called Campus Security to escort me to my car. (The ride to my car in a golf cart instead of walking was always a plus)

Not much has changed with security at UH-M since I graduated 5 years ago. Last school year alone I recall reading about sexual assaults happening in the dorms on multiple occasions. :(

for everyone...
 

Please learn the layout of your campus really well ASAP. It's just always a good idea to know your surroundings so you don't get lost, especially at night.

And I second the distinguished gentleman who said something like "a yes from a girl who's been drinking is still a NO." It just ain't worth the potential "complications" (i,e. potential charges) if she decides (when sober) that it was a mistake. :eek: (no this is not from my own experience, thank the Almighty I'm smarter than that, but I've seen/heard it happen)

Please... there is crime EVERYWHERE. Don't fuel the falacy that it doesn't happen, even jokingly. I went to a private school my first two years and I can tell that it doesn't matter how much you pay or what town your school is in.

College is so full of new experiences, that sometimes it's hard to see what is happening right in front of you (or behind you). Criminals prey on the non-suspecting.

A girl in my suite (of 10) was raped in her own bed on the first Thursday night of classes. How? She had gone to a party and left her keys and ID (she had one of those plastic id holders) somewhere at the party. Someone took them and followed her home. Drunk, she just knocked on the suite door and one of the girls in my suite let her in. He unlocked the suite door, then opened her room door. She was passed out on her bed, as was her roommate. She woke up in the middle of him commiting the act.

She left campus the day after and never came back.

Crime has only increased since I started school, which was in 89. PLEASE don't take anything, or anyone for granted. Safety is not a passive practice.

I definitely agree with this. I go to a small campus with the dorms within walking Distance of Fraternity Row. But any way, every time we have a mixer with an on campus sorority they would always have sober sisters to make sure nothing bad happened to the girls. I think it is a good idea to make sure somebody is looking out for you.

pssst, that's the point.

Oh, yeah! I guess you're right on that one but I still felt sorry for the guys that had housekeeping duty the next morning ... I guess that was the price they had to pay for an entertaining social the night before. :)

a site or two with some good advice and stats:
campus safety tips
http://www.securityoncampus.org/students/tips.html
home page http://www.securityoncampus.org/index.html

As a former university professor, Chi Omega alumnae, and the mother of multiple college age students I am VERY concerned about safety on campus. There are several things females should keep in mind if they want to have a safe, happy college experience. For example:
1. When you go to a party take along a bottle or glass with a top that must be screwed on or off. This means no one can put something in your drink without it being obvious.
2. NEVER put a drink down (i.e. to go dance, to go to the bathroom, etc) and then go back and drink out of it. Even if you are in a situation where you have to pay for another drink, it is a lot cheaper than paying for therapy for years after enduring the trauma of date rape.
3. ALWAYS make sure someone is looking out for you. My son (a junior at IU) has told me that he has had to go looking for girls when they seemed to have just become "lost in the crowd." He told me that he has pulled girls that were "out of it" out of boys rooms. These were girls that thought they were safe but didn't realize how easy it is for someone to slip something into their drinks. In both situations, the girls told my son that they were so grateful that someone actually noticed they were "missing" and didn't simply think they had gone off somewhere to fool around.
4. NEVER ASSUME that a girlfriend has gone off with her boyfriend unless she SPECIFICALLY tells you that she is going to be leaving with someone else. My niece's room mate was raped the first semester of her freshman year even though she was attending a small private Christian college and felt safe there. The young woman was missing and everyone told my niece not to worry because "everyone" tended to slip off in the night to be with a boyfriend. My niece was confused but the group finally convinced her that she was simply unaware of the realities of college life. Unfortunately, this situation was devastating both for the girl who was drugged, raped, and left half dressed in a parking lot and for my niece who has to live with the question as to whether or not a phone call would have changed the outcome of the situation.
Therefore, it is important to get to KNOW the people you are with and to understand where their boundaries lie. If a female is going to leave a party or other event to go hang out with a male, then they should tell someone. If the person is missing during the party/event it is critical that her friends begin to look for her.
5. BE AWARE of what is going on around you. Talking on the cell phone is great but if you are oblivious to where you are, or if you think having someone on the other end of the line makes you safer then you are mistaken.
6. Don't feel like it is stupid to call CAMPUS SECURITY to pick you up and drop you off when you have to be on campus late at night. Many girls can tell you that they didn't make the phone call that could have kept them safe because it "seemed silly" or "stupid" to call someone.
7. Let people (i.e. a roommate, a friend) know where you are going and when to expect you to return.
8. Don't forget to CHARGE YOUR CELL PHONE. It is impossible to call a friend, security, or call for help if you have spent so much time talking that you have no battery life left when it counts.
9. GET INVOLVED with campus life. The more people that you know, the more people you can depend on, the safer you are. In addition, you will have more fun and if you actually manage your time well, you will probably make better grades. There is some research that demonstrates that students that are very involved in campus life are happier, make better grades, and get better jobs after graduating. Keep in mind that employers want to hire people that have social skills as well as professional skills.
10. Try to do most of your partying at campus events. Off campus events (i.e. bars) are typically much more dangerous than events designed by/for college students. BTW: Purposely getting drunk is making a purposeful choice to "let go and let things happen." That includes bad things. Don't give up your ability to make good decisions for yourself. If you don't value your own safety then there is no reason to think others will value it or value you. It is that simple.

Lastly, have fun! As long as you are being as responsible as possible or unless you go to a school in which your safety is a serious concern, you should be fine as long as you are not stupid. University life is wonderful in most respects but there are issues that must be considered if one is to leave school emotionally healthy and ready to face the world.

Stay safe,
CHWG

This is a very good thread. It should be pinned I think. Safety is always the first concern no matter what.

Point taken.

My brothers and I always make sure that we're made available to the sorority women that we hang out with frequently. Whenever they're at a party/at the library/on campus late at night, there's usually at least one of us around to make sure they get to their homes safely.

You and Your Bothers should be commended!:cool:

So what have we learned from this thread?

http://media.ebaumsworld.com/picture...yblackdude.jpg

But seriously, where do you all go to school? I go to a major university in a fairly large town, almost everyone I know is a drunk, very few of them follow any of these rules, and nothing bad (aside from fighting other drunks and a few hookups that you later wish hadn't happened) has ever happened to any of them.