Staying Safe on Campus: Ten Safety Tips

Buy this book »

Whether you are attending college in a large urban center, a small town, or in the middle of nowhere, your campus will be an attraction for criminal activity. A high concentration of young people with cash, computers, and lots of the latest hot electronic gadgetry, coupled with the frequently lax security of propped doors and open windows, creates a prime target for criminals. According to recent surveys, one in three college students will be a victim of criminal activity before he or she graduates. So how can you protect yourself?

The Ten Most Critical Campus Safety Tips

Safeguard Your Keys, Security Access Card, and College ID Card

It may seem so obvious as to not even need mentioning, but you'd be shocked to learn how many people lose their keys, access card, or ID and then go days or even weeks without reporting it. Remember, this is more than an issue of your own convenience. A key, access card, or college ID with a barcode on it gets a thief past most levels of campus security and into the gym, the libraries, classroom buildings, and the dorms. Remember that possession of one or more of these items can also give a criminal the appearance of legitimacy in the eyes of campus security officials or another student. Don't wait: report the loss of any such item immediately so that it can be disabled, and then obtain a replacement.

And although it is a popular thing to do, you should never attach your college ID card to your key chain. A lost set of keys, by itself, still poses a challenge to a would-be thief. A lost set of keys with your ID card attached to it draws a map to your doorway.

Maintain the Perimeter Security of Your Dorm

Many college dorms and residence halls have an outer perimeter of locked gates that enclose courtyards, recreation areas, dining halls, performance spaces, and classrooms in addition to the dorms themselves. These gates are typically controlled either by a separate key, an electronic access card, or the magnetic stripe on your college ID card. These perimeter security features only work, however, if they are allowed to function as intended—as a barrier to entry to those without the proper means of access. Be vigilant about whom you allow to breach this perimeter. This means not holding the gate open for complete strangers following you into your campus courtyard (and thus giving them access) without asking them for identification. It means reporting any suspicious person in or around your dorm to campus security immediately—even if you're not certain that the person doesn't belong. It means not propping open gates to dormitory courtyards to run things in from your car, or disabling automatic locks on dormitory access doors so that friends from other dorms can get up to your room without a key. Remember, gates and locks work only if you use them.

"Don't loan anyone your keys and don't hold the dorm door or the main door open for anyone," Amanda agreed. "This means you have to get comfortable with shutting the door in someone's face, which some people might find rude."

Prevent Access to Your Dorm Room Itself

This means closing the windows to your dorm room when you leave for class in the morning or when you go out at night. It means not sleeping with all the windows to your room wide open unless you live on a high floor. And yes, it means locking the door to your dorm even when all you are doing is going down the dorm hall to take a shower or go to the bathroom.