This problem is further compounded by the reluctance of many institutions to fully disclose reports of incidents that were later down-graded to misconduct or misdemeanor charges, in the interest of protecting the public image of the institution.

The bottom-line, of course, is that students need to be aware of the dangers in their environment, and need to be armed with basic information about how to reduce their risks of becoming a victim of campus crime. That is exactly what this article seeks to provide.

The following list of safety tips is rather long, but is well worth reading for any student that is truly interested in protecting their own safety, as well as their belongings.

Basic Safe Practices

Know Your Campus: Study the campus and neighborhood with respect to routes between your residence and class or activity schedules. This includes knowledge of academic buildings, residence halls, and other facilities while classes are in session and after dark to see that buildings, walkways, quadrangles, and parking lots are adequately secured, lit and patrolled. Know where emergency phones are located. Always take the safest route, not the fastest route.

Travel Smart: Always travel in groups, at least two or more, and especially at night. If you’re walking, stay in well-lit areas, and stay on the part of the sidewalk that is farthest away from shrubs, dark doorways and alleys. If possible, use a shuttle service after dark. Never walk alone at night. Avoid "shortcuts".

Know the Danger Zones: Carefully evaluate the hangouts, the frat houses, and the off-campus apartment complexes to gauge the environment. Remember that a lot of campus crime often involves drug and alcohol use, so areas where this level of activity is frequent should be considered a danger zone. Other areas that you should avoid include parking garage stairways and the use of ATM’s at night.

Protect your Stuff: Make sure your windows and doors have functional locks, and use them. Doors should ideally have peep holes, and you should use them, too. Don’t loan-out your key. Don’t compromise your safety by allowing a room-mate to ask you to “leave the door open”. Do not leave your identification, wallets, checkbooks, jewelry, cameras, and other valuables in open view. Do not leave laptop computers in open, easily viewed areas – these things are popular objects of theft. Secure your laptop out of sight when you’re not using it, perform frequent backups of your data, and keep records of your serial number, model and cost.

Build a Security Network: Program your phone's speed dial memory with emergency numbers that include family and friends. When you go out, let someone (that you trust) know where you’re going and when you’ll be back. Share your class schedule with friends and family, effectively creating a “buddy system”. Memorize the phone number of your university’s police department (in case you lose access to your phone with all those programmed numbers).

Safety Tips in General: Always lock your car, and keep valuables out of sight (and, yes, that means check the back seat too). Park in well-lit, well-traveled areas of any parking lot you use. Listen to your instincts! If something doesn’t feel right, change direction, go to an emergency phone, or get into a public building and make a phone call. Always be aware of your surroundings. If someone moves into your personal space that feels threatening, move away. If the individual persists, run.

In the end, it’s up to you to do your very best to avoid placing yourself in a potentially dangerous situation. This article has attempted to provide you with insight as to what those situations might be. It is also becoming more common for students to arm themselves with basic self-defense tools such as those provided by 1st Defense, a popular provider of self defense products. If you apply the tips provided in this article and stay in touch with your instincts and common sense, I’m sure you will find your college experience to be the enjoyable and rewarding experience you expect it to be – crime free!

Jonathan Merritt may be contacted at http://www.1stdefenseproducts.com info@1stdefenseproducts.com. Click here to view more of their articles.
Jonathan Merritt has over 20 years of experience in the security industry, and has written numerous articles on personal, family and home security. His company web site provides links to several government and community-based security information sites, as well as a complete line of self defense and personal protection products, as well as surveillance systems. You can contact the author at info@1stdefenseproducts.com.