Guardly Blog
When you enter university it is important that you always remain safe at school. We’ve composed 25 college safety tips which you can help keep you safe on campus .
1. Do not under any circumstances drink and drive, or enter a vehicle where the driver is drunk. In 2009 there were 10,839 fatalities as a result of drunk driving in the United States.
You can help keep yourself and your friends safe at school by volunteering to be a designated driver should your friends plan to drink. Doing this will help improve in school safety for the people you care about. At college parties know your limit and drink responsibly. Don’t be a statistic.
2. Never leave your drink unattended at a college party, bar or club.
If you’ve left your drink unattended and have any inclination that someone may have slipped a date rape drug into your drink, otherwise called a roofie, just buy another one. It’s well worth the couple bucks.
3. Don’t do drugs. Most universities have strict policies for drugs on campus and if you are concerned about issues related to college safety you should always say no to drugs.
4. If your classmate asks you for a ride home, it may make sense to refuse if you do not know the person well or they make you feel uncomfortable.
5. Familiarize yourself with your university’s in school safety policies and procedures.
You can usually find information about these safety policies on your school’s website. For example, UCLA has a detailed page on its website dedicated to educating its students about campus safety and security.
6. If you are worried about your safety at night, don’t walk alone on-campus.
Most schools feature walk-safe programs, whereby you can request to be escorted by a security officer, school staff, or another student to your house or car. Your campus security are there to help improve campus safety and you should not hesitate to use their services.
7. Familiarize yourself with the location of outdoor on-campus emergency phones.
These phones connect you directly to your campus security services. Many schools, such as, Hobart William Smith College, have a map on their website with the locations of on-campus emergency light phones. These phones are sometimes equipped with video cameras and loud speakers.
8. Carry a mobile phone so you can notify your contacts, campus-security or the police should you find yourself in an emergency.
9. In addition to carrying a mobile phone, you can also download location-based, personal-safety applications such as Guardly.
If you are in an emergency Guardly allows you to immediately notify a custom group of contacts, the police and in many cases campus security with your exact location. Additionally, you can communicate with your contacts, during an emergency, through instant messaging, conference-calling and SMS, helping to improve in school safety.
10. Follow your instincts. If a situation doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t.
11. Have a friend or family member who you can always get a hold of to help you in case of an emergency. This is one of the most simple yet effective on campus safety strategy’s.
12. Another important on campus safety tip is to tell a friend and/or family member where you are going and notify them when you arrive safely at your destination.
13. Leave your campus party or pub night if it gets too wild, or if people are getting overly drunk and aggressive.
Attending a campus party or pub night that becomes too wild could be dangerous. As a newsletter from Indiana University states: about 1 in 4 women experience unwanted sexual intercourse during their college years and many times this sexual abuse occurs during or after an on-campus party.
14. Don’t pick fights with others on-campus and if provoked walk away or inform the proper authorities.
15. If a person on campus threatens, harasses or in any way causes you harm, immediately inform your campus security and/or the police.
You can use Guardly to immediately contact campus security services or the police and communicate with them through conference-calling, instant messaging or SMS.
16. If you witness a crime being committed on campus, contact campus-security. Don’t be silent if you happen upon a crime committed on-campus, instead inform the proper authorities and help improve campus safety for everyone.
For example, there are many organizations, such as Crime Stoppers of Canada or Crime Stoppers USA, that you can contact to report a crime you may have witnessed. Many of these organizations allow you to remain anonymous so you do not have to fear for your safety.
17. If you are living in an apartment or in a house off-campus, make sure you have smoke detectors installed and that your residence meets all safety regulations.
18. Familiarize yourself with the fire exits and escape routes in your school. So in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or terrorist attack, you are prepared.
19. If you have sex make sure to always use protection in order to prevent STD’s and unwanted pregnancies.
It is estimated that 1 in 4 students will contract an STD during college so it is important to always use protection if you are sexually active.
20. Have a yearly visit with your campus physician. Seeing a doctor regularly is important to keeping you healthy and safe.
21. Make an appointment with your school therapist should you feel emotionally unstable. This is an important yet overlooked part of college safety.
22. While in school do not overwork yourself and exercise regularly in order to deal with stress related to your studies.
Stress among college students is very common. According to a study by the Associated Press of college students, over 80% of students sometimes or frequently experience stress. It is therefore important to exercise and keep healthy, especially during your studies.
23. Try your best to get a good night sleep before class.
24. Do your best to stay on well-lit paths while walking through campus at night.
25. If you feel threatened on campus, consider carrying pepper spray (as long as it’s legal in your jurisdiction).
Related Posts:
Read our customer campus safety study showing how Guardly helped improve emergency response times by 44% at a school.
Curious? Ask for a 15-minute Demo!
