SECURITY TIPS FOR STUDENT

By: BIG BOSS

Being off campus is fun but it’s easy to gain a false sense of security and feeling of safety when surrounded by your peers. After all, they’re just honest students like you, Right? Wrong?. It’s important to acknowledge and remember that you don’t always know who you can trust, even when you’re in the college campus bubble. While the threat of danger may not always be your first assumption, it’s important to be prepared should a situation ever present itself.
Additionally, there are easy ways to prevent yourself from becoming more vulnerable than necessary or putting yourself into potentially harmful situations.
The following safety tips can help you avoid dangerous situations or help you if should you find yourself in a risky situation or environment

1. Don’t allow technology to make you unaware of your surroundings
   Everyone with headphones, a smartphone and an MP3 player knows – the minute you’re plugged in, you barely exist anymore! You stare at your phone, zoned out; not knowing what is going on around you. This, in essence, is exactly what you should be avoiding.

When you start finding yourself becoming unaware of what’s going on around you is the time you need to consider turning the music down, putting your phone away and opening your eyes to what’s happening.

No, you don’t need to call it an early night just because one of your friends does. But, what you should do is ensure you always have a minimum of one person with you that you know (and know you can trust).

2. Never walk alone at night
   Walking around alone and in the dark is basically asking for trouble. Sure, there are times that you need to get from point A to point B which may occur at night, but you should always abide by the buddy system so that, should something happen, you’re not on your own.
3. Utilize locks
   While it’s easy to become relaxed in college life, there are some habits that should always remain standard. Locking your doors, especially when you’re alone or asleep, should be one of them.
4. Carry some emergency cash
   It’s good to have some cash on you at all times, just in case. Perhaps your credit card won’t work or your debit card gets lost. You never want to be stuck in a scary situation because you don’t have the necessary funds to get out of it as quickly as possible.
5. Never stay at a party when your friend leaves

Being alone in a party setting isn’t smart – go home if you’re going to be alone because it is not worth the risk to stay – no matter how nice everyone there seems.

6. Always have emergency contacts on you or in your device
   If you have a smartphone, program emergency numbers into it. It’s one of the first spots hospitals check if you’re admitted alone because they are able to bypass your pass code in order to access your contacts.

Additionally, list your important emergency contact numbers and information in your planner, if you carry one. Whatever items you have on a regular basis are good spots to keep emergency information.

7. Consider carrying pepper spray, a whistle or taking a self-defense course
   The hope is certainly that you’d never need to make use of these defense mechanisms, however, having them with you can make a life-saving difference in harmful situations you otherwise might not be able to get out of.