Student Safety on Campus

Many of us sat stunned as we watched the reports of the shootings at Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois As a parent, images of the horrors of these shootings may be lingering in your mind. You may be wondering, “Is my child safe on campus?”

We do our best to maintain the safest community possible. Campus officials work diligently to maintain effective security measures, provide safety education initiatives and create a forum for communication about potential threats.

The strongest weapon we have is prevention. And it takes a whole community working together to prevent crime and tragedy on campus.  Unfortunately, students often forget that our campus community is not immune from incident. As they get caught up in their day-to-day activities, it becomes easy for students to take a lax stance on protecting themselves and their community. Students often ignore advice and warnings about their personal safety on campus, leaving their doors unlocked, walking alone across campus late at night and leaving their valuables unattended.

Talk with your student about the importance of self- and community-responsibility as he prepares to return—or enter college for the first time—this fall. A little bit of diligence and awareness can make a world of difference.

Taking Personal & Community Responsibility in the Residence Halls

Remind your student to:

•   Keep her room door locked! Students commonly leave their doors unlocked while they take showers, sleep and go across campus. Why, you ask? They’ll say, “I know everyone on my floor…what’s the big deal?” The big deal is this: crimes happen in campus residence halls.

•   Ask who is at the door before opening it. Unfortunately, determined strangers may make their way into residence halls. Getting into the habit of asking, “Who is it?” isn’t that difficult…after all, do you just fling open the front door of your home without checking to see who is there first?

•   Limit the amount of information she posts publically about her schedule and her whereabouts.

•   Deny strangers access to the residence hall (by not letting in people behind her)—even if she thinks the person is a student. Even though it can be hard to confront a stranger and deny access, her diligence will help keep everyone that much safer.

•   Follow campus policies—they’re in place for students’ safety.

•   Take emergency preparedness drills seriously. Tragedy provides an unfortunate reminder of the importance of being prepared for disaster to strike. Cooperating with emergency-preparedness drills assists in ensuring the campus is as safe and prepared as the community allows it to be.

 

Taking Personal & Community Responsibility on Other Campus Grounds

Remind your student to:

•   Walk with a buddy late at night or in potentially dangerous situations. Whenever possible, use an escort system.

•   Be smart about her use of alcohol and other drugs. Students tend to do unwise things and put themselves and others in harm’s way when their inhibitions are compromised.

•   Get to know the campus security and life safety officers. They’re part of the community too—and they are always willing to help.

•   Be careful about the information she chooses to share online. Whether it’s in an away message or on a social networking site, more people have access to her profiles than she thinks.

•   Keep her vehicle locked and store valuables out of site. Be cautious and aware when approaching her vehicle late at night.

•   Treat the campus grounds with respect. Vandalizing and damaging directional signs, fire extinguishers and other safety equipment costs the college valuable funds and effort that could be directed to other areas. A “practical joke” can quickly turn sour if someone gets hurt.

•   Report suspicious behavior to the appropriate campus officials, even if it’s “just a hunch.” Her tip may be one of many being received about an individual. Every little bit of information about a potential threat is critical.

For specific campus information: http://www.csbsju.edu/csbsecurity/services/default.htm

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Jody Terhaar
Dean of Students
College of Saint Benedict
St. Joseph, MN 56374
(320) 363-5601