Safety issues are a concern for all
Old Gold and Black Editorial Board

> February 1, 2001

On every university campus, safety is a prerequisite for education. To that end, the Old Gold and Black will publish in the coming weeks a series of articles aimed at student safety – an oft-ignored facet of university life.

Conventional wisdom tells us that the term “student safety” is usually associated with crime such as theft, trespassing and sexual assault. Indeed, these are serious issues confronting the university community. However, there are other issues that affect the lives of students just as significantly, yet receive less consideration by the student body. Issues such as mental health and alcohol abuse are important as those more visible problems. The university has resources to help students deal with all of these problems, yet often students themselves are the only ones who can ensure a safe campus.

Mental health is a safety issue that in many cases fails to receive the attention it deserves. The rigors of academic life at the university put pressure on all students. This, combined with social pressures and the stress of living away from home, creates an atmosphere which is sometimes difficult for even the best-prepared students. Often, the hardest step in dealing with mental health problems is to recognize that a problem exists, but there are many university resources, such as the counseling center, which are available to help students deal with problems.

Sexual assault is a major concern at every university. While the university has valuable resources with which to help victims of sexual assault, there are many incidents that go unreported. The best way to prevent sexual assault is to use common sense measures such as traveling in groups and keeping control of your beverage at parties at all times. While it is unfortunate that students need to take preventative measures of this type, prudence is one of the most effective methods of preventing sexual assaults. Should a student be sexually assaulted, the single most important step is reporting the incident to the police. The resources of the community can only be put into motion if the incident is reported.

Another security concern that faces the university community is trespassing. The campus gates provide a superficial sense of security – one glance at the University Police’s weekly reports shows that many people can still find their way onto campus. With Reynolda Gardens constituting the southern border of campus and Polo Road constituting the northern border, it is nearly impossible to keep a determined intruder from trespassing. Fortunately there are many painless steps the campus community can take to discourage unauthorized visitors, such as actively reporting suspicious people on campus to the University Police. Only joint efforts by community members can ensure a significant amount of physical security.

One of the most common dangers facing students on a day-to-day basis is theft. Thousands of dollars worth of personal belongings are stolen from students every year. More often than not, incidents of theft on campus can be easily prevented by locking dorm rooms and cars. While theft poses less of a physical danger to students than the issues mentioned above, it is still an important safety issue facing the campus community; above all, it is a problem that can easily be curbed with awareness and sensible precaution.

Perhaps the most pernicious dangers facing college students today are related to alcohol abuse. Many university students choose to enjoy alcoholic beverages at parties and social events, but, what is usually a recreational activity can all too easily develop into a dangerous habit. Even students who are not alcoholics can unwittingly engage in binge drinking, potentially causing serious health problems. Prevention measures such as awareness education can be beneficial, but the key to preventing the potentially lethal consequences of binge drinking lies in the hands of friends who are in a position to seek medical attention for alcohol abusers. Recently the administration has reformed its policy so as to allow those who need medical attention to seek it without fear of sanction. But regardless of the potential for administrative sanction, concerned friends should bite the bullet and get those in danger the help they need.

It might be said that the university community lives on a speciously idyllic campus. While it is true that the campus community does not necessarily face the same dangers as on a larger campus, it is also true that the Reynolda campus is not immune to serious threats to student safety. Often, students get into trouble or find themselves in dangerous circumstances at the least expected times and places. But no matter what the particular danger, students should feel confident in the knowledge that the university has a superb pool of resources upon which to draw for the purposes of aiding and protecting the university community. However, these resources cannot be utilized unless incidents are reported. In that respect, and all others, the most important thing to remember is that the university community is, if anything, closely knit, and as a direct consequence, there is no danger that cannot be overcome by determined group action and common sense.