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College is a wonderful time to meet new people, socialize, and enjoy your new found sense of freedom. However, with that freedom comes personal responsibility, not just for your education, but for your self as well. Campus security is a major issue at colleges and universities across the country as student populations increase and university budgets decrease. Whether you’re a clueless freshman or a weathered super senior, personal safety should always be a top priority. For the benefit of our readers, here are our strongly recommended suggestions on ways to protect and keep yourself safe while socializing and indulging in the treats of college life.
Staying Safe on Campus
Staying Safe on Campus
Keeping Your Friends Safe
Additional Information
Staying Safe on Campus
Be aware of your surroundings – When walking on campus, stay alert and know what’s going on around you. This applies to if you’re walking alone, in a group, or even when you’re on your phone. After all, chances are that whoever you’re talking to is not close enough to help if you needed it.
Get to know your college campus – Know your way around campus so you can’t get lost, and know what buildings are open late and typically have other students in them. This way, if you don’t feel safe, you can walk straight to one of the buildings, go inside, and calm down while being surrounded by other people.
Park in safe places – Park in well-lit areas and as close to your classroom as possible. Also remember, a safe place to park in the morning might not be as safe at night. If you plan to be on campus all day, consider where you’re parking before you park.
Use the buddy system – This applies to just about everything including parties, fraternity or sorority meetings, and even late night classes. If you don’t have a friend in your class, make one! Not only can you two agree to walk back to your dorms or cars together, but you’ll also have a good study buddy.
Lock your room and your valuables – While you may be able to trust your roommate or suite mates, you never know who can come wandering through the dorm halls. Additionally, if you’ve been out partying, the last thing you want is for some stranger to stumble into your room at 2am.
Never leave your things unattended in public – If you’re studying in the library or waiting for class to start, don’t leave your things unattended. Someone can easily swipe your new iPhone or laptop and there will be little you can do to stop them.
Know where the Emergency Blue Lights are and the number for campus security – Most colleges and universities now have Emergency Blue Light stations posted around campus. Know where these stations are in case you ever need to use one. Additionally, program the campus security number into your phone so you have it on hand if necessary.
Be aware of personal medical conditions – Medical conditions often loose priority when students go to college. This is a mistake. Stay on top of your condition, take your medication, and know what happens if you don’t. Certain conditions, such as Diabetes and Anemia can put you in severe physical danger if ignored for too long.
Use campus transportation – Campus transportation is the safest way to move about campus, and is there for the students. Thus, use it whenever possible, especially at night. If you need late night transportation, looking into the escort service (no, not that kind of escort) provided by campus security. This is usually a late night shuttle or individual security officer to walk you home.
Be smart rather than brave – While we all commend the brave, being smart at college usually serves you better. Use your resources, get to know your campus, and avoid dangerous situations (stepping into a study hall if a stranger is making you uncomfortable).
Stay away from places on campus rumored to be dangerous – Even if it’s just a rumor, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Keep your cell phone charged – You can’t call your friends, campus transportation, or the police if your phone isn’t charged. Save yourself the panic and trouble by charging your phone daily.
Take a self defense course – This applies to both female and male students. Self defense courses are great as they teach students to use their own abilities to fend off attackers (you don’t need to be a body builder to protect yourself). Additionally, you’ll feel more confident in yourself and your abilities after taking a self defense course.
Stay Safe at Parties
Never accept a drink from someone you don’t know – Period. This is one of the most important rules for students as Rohypnol (also known as roofies or the date rape drug) is still quite prevalent. If you don’t want to offend someone, you can say you want something else (and you’ll get it yourself), or you don’t feel like drinking at the moment.
Never set your drink down – Another important rule to always remember. If you need to go to the bathroom, pull out your phone or give an old friend a hug, don’t set your drink down. Or, if you choose to, don’t pick it up again as anyone could’ve tampered with it while you were distracted.
If you take medication, know how it will react with alcohol – This is extremely important as alcohol can react dangerously with some medications enhancing the side effects and even rendering you unconscious. If you are taking medication and are unsure, don’t drink at all! And if your medication says “not to be mixed with alcohol”, trust the warning and don’t drink.
Don’t leave a party with someone you just met and don’t let your friends leave you – Simply and to the point. Even if you just met the cutest guy you’ve ever seen, don’t let your guard down. Sexual assault is not just done by the creepy looking guys, anyone is capable of it. Additionally, don’t get left behind. Even if you’re having the time of your life, if your friends have decided to leave, don’t take a chance. Leave with them. There will be plenty of parties to go to in the future.
Choose who you party with wisely – Just because you’ve known someone for a week, doesn’t mean you can trust them. Keep your guard up and know who you’re partying with. Your roommate might be the life of the party, but if she tends to disappear, she’s probably not the best party buddy.
Don’t drink and drive – This cannot be emphasized more. University and city police are always on the lookout for drunk college drivers and they usually have little to no sympathy. Don’t give them a reason to pull you over. If you’ve had anything to drink, don’t get behind the wheel (especially if you’re underage).
Know your alcohol tolerance and limit – While your fraternity brother may be able to down six beers as their pre-drink, if you can’t, don’t even try. Know how much you can consume, and know when you should stop. If you’ve never drank before, a good rule of thumb is to start with beer. Alcohol levels are lower and are more consistent, so gauging your alcohol tolerance is a bit easier to do (compared to hard liquor or mixed drinks).
Tell people before you go out – When you go to a party, let someone know (1) where you are and (2) who you’re with. Leave a note on your whiteboard, a post-it for your roommate, or send your suite mate a text. This way, if you’re still not back the next day, people will know where to look and who to ask first.
Trust your instincts – If someone seems creepy, shady, or is too physical with you, trust your feelings and leave! Usually your gut instinct is right, and even if it’s not, (again) it’s always better to be safe than sorry.
Assign a designated driver or designated walker – Know how you’re getting home before you leave for the party. If driving, make sure you have a designated driver who you trust to stay sober and to stay at the party. If the party is on campus, have a designated walker. While this might sound silly, having someone to guide your friends after the party is better than relying on each other to get home. After all, the drunk leading the drunk usually makes for a very long and round about walk home, not to mention the chance of loosing one of your friends along the way.
Date rape is real! – Just because you’ve known someone for a few days does not mean you actually know them. Don’t put yourself in a position where you could potentially be date raped. This means staying in groups and with people you know, not inviting someone home with you, and drinking only with people you trust.
Stay away from the “unknown” – If you don’t know your alcohol tolerance, stay away from mixed drinks such as “jungle juice” or “fraternity punch” where you don’t know the alcohol content. These drinks tend to not only have high alcohol content, but also multiple types of alcohol and “juice” to hide the taste. If you’re not sure about the drink or yourself, don’t drink it!
Stay on campus – Try to go to parties that are either on campus or somewhere you know. This way, if things go wrong (you don’t like the party, your driver leaves, your friends desert you, etc.) you can call a cab or campus security to take you home.
[For girls] Use your guy friends – If you have a trustworthy male friend at the party, use him! One of the best tricks to get rid of a creepy guy is to pretend your male friend is your boyfriend. Also, try to leave with your male friend to discourage creepers from following you home.
Stay hydrated! – Beer, wine and hard liquor do not contain enough water to hydrate your body. Try to drink water as you consume alcohol. Dehydration can lead to physical problems such as permanent organ damage and death, all with little to no warning. Additionally, do not drink coffee or tea to rehydrate your body as these are diuretics (prompts your body to urinate).
Keep Your Friends Safe Too!
Know where your friends are – Never assume your friend is with a “boyfriend” or another friend. Always find your friend, check in with them, and make sure they are alright. Additionally, if you don’t feel right about the person they’re with, trust your instinct, protect your friend, and take them away.
Leave no friend behind – Never leave a friend alone at a party or in the care of someone you don’t know. Just as you don’t want your friends to leave you, you shouldn’t leave your friends to fend for themselves.
Know when to say “stop” – Don’t be afraid to be a “Debbie downer” and tell your friend when they’ve had too much to drink. If they refuse to listen, go one step further and cut them off or take them home. While they may complain and even curse you out, they’ll thank you in the morning.
Identify strange behavior – Notice if your friend starts acting strangely at a party such as slurring her words, falling over, or not being able to hold up her head. While this could be signs of intoxication, it could also be drug-induced. In either case, it’s important to stop her alcohol consumption, get her to drink water, and get her safely home. If alcohol poisoning occurs, take her to the emergency room and stay with her. This means at the hospital, on the drive back home, and at home. It may be a long night for you, but she will thank her lucky stars in the morning that she has such a great friend like you.
Be responsible – If you’re the designated driver or walker, DO NOT DRINK! This doesn’t mean just one beer, this means absolutely nothing! Being responsible also includes keeping an eye on your friends, who’s around them, and taking care of them if necessary.
Be available – If you’re staying in for the night, take one for the team and make yourself available to your friends as a designated driver or last-resort pick up. Although the favor often goes unused, providing the option can make your friends feel more safe and make you more trustworthy in their eyes.
Additional Information
If you have questions or would like more information about sexual assault, self defense, and campus safety at your school, contact your university’s police department, campus security, and student services. Additionally, contact your dean of students for information regarding alcohol and drug abuse, poisoning, and counseling services. We’ve also listed some resources below to help you out:
Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network
No Nonsense Self Defense
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Rape Treatment Center: UCLA Medical Center
