Top 6 Most Common Obstacles for College Freshmen: #3 Physical Safety

Post By: COYD Staff

Safety is probably the most important issue of college life that we will be discussing in this series. Without safety, a student has NOTHING. Today we will be talking about Physical Safety which basically covers campus crime. According to the Statistics from the 2009 National Crime Victims’ Rights Week Resource Guide developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice, seven statistics about campus crime are below:

1. In 2007, 88,040 crimes were reported to police on college campuses.
2. An estimated 12 percent of women currently attending American colleges have been raped.
3. Victims of rape or sexual assault were about 4 times more likely to be victimized by someone they knew than by a stranger.
4. In 2006, there were 17,602 alcohol-related crash fatalities.
5. Male college students were about twice as likely to be victims of overall violence than female students.
6. A survey of university undergraduates revealed that 20 percent had been stalked or harassed by a former dating partner.
7. Most crimes against students (93%) occurred off campus; of those, 72% occurred at night

These statistics are not intended to scare off students from going to college. They are intended to educate students about the reality of campus crime and prepare them for living away from their family.

Security on Campus, Inc. is a national non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to safe campuses for college and university students. Please visit this website prior to your first day of college to learn more about campus safety.

Below are 15 tips for campus safety. The first seven are from the Security on Campus, Inc. website.

1. Know your surroundings and trust your instincts.

2. Keep phone numbers of campus safety in your cell for emergencies.

3. Lock your door. Do not loan your keys to friends.

4. Do not accept drinks (alcoholic or otherwise) from others. Remember that alcohol is the #1 date-rape drug.
– Watch your drink at all times. Never leave it unattended!

5. When you go out, let someone know where you’re going and when you plan to be back.

6. Do not prop doors.

7. Use caution when posting personal information on Facebook, MySpace, and other social networking sites.

8. Look up your school’s campus crime record. Go to this link to search for your campus. For recent crimes occurring on college and university campuses nationally, go to Crime Log on Security on Campus’s website.

9. Carry some kind of weapon when you are walking at night.
– Pepper spray, stun gun (check to see if it is legal in your state)
– Keys in between your fingers: Make sure to have your keys ready when you are walking to your car. Many attackers use the time when the victim is searching for their keys to attack.

10. Check around your car and underneath your car before you approach your car. There have been a series of attacks where the attacker would hide under the vehicle and slash the victim’s Achilles tendon with a knife.

11. Avoid unlighted areas when walking at night.

12. Don’t be afraid to report anything to the campus police. Better to be safe than sorry!

13. Identify campus phones. Many campuses have phones that will automatically dial campus security.

14. If you are going to a party with alcohol and plan on drinking, make sure you bring a buddy. Do not go to parties alone and drink alcohol.

15. Enroll in a self defense class.
– Knowing the basics of self defense will allow you to run away from situations that you could not control.

Next, we will discuss health safety tips.