Schools
Safety Tips for Students Going to College
Recent attacks and robberies near the UC Berkeley campus underscore the hazards for students going back to college or attending for the first time this fall. The nonprofit Just Yell Fire has recommendations for staying safe.
By Dixie Jordan
Contemporary college life comes with some potential hazards — date rape and muggings being among the most serious.
Last weekend, for example, two young women were robbed at gunpoint four blocks south of the Cal campus, according to the UC Berkeley Police Department. A few days earlier, two summer school students sitting on the exterior steps of their dorm were also robbed by two armed men.
Just Yell Fire, a nonprofit organization that focuses on violence against girls and young women, has these suggestions for new college freshmen. Many of them apply to young men as well.
Parties – A great social life is part of the college experience, but remember —never put down your beverage and come back to it. Date rape drugs are prevalent on the college scene and are impossible to detect without a test kit. Go to parties as a group, watch out for each other and leave together. Alcohol is involved in the majority of university sexual assaults and a nice guy can quickly turn into a different and violent person when he is under the influence.
ATMs and Parking Lots – Cash machines and parking lots are frequent stops in college. Unfortunately the bad guys see ATMs in less-traveled areas as a hunting ground; ditto dark parking lots, the site of a high percentage of campus assaults. Make a very-public ATM your cash source and either avoid poorly lighted or deserted parking lots or go with a friend. For predator avoidance there’s safety in numbers. Try to avoid parking next to vans, or if one has parked next to you, go back and ask a security guard to escort you to your car.
Hall Cruising – A big trend in on-campus violence comes from hall cruising, where innocent=appearing predators gain access to dorms, sororities or residence halls by trusting residents. They then cruise the halls looking for unlocked doors to find their victim. Put a stop to this type of violence by always locking your dorm room door and never giving strangers access to your building.
Campus Shuttle – Late-night library or social visits are part of college life. but coming home you are often alone, and while campuses seem like islands of safety, they are open to outsiders from every direction. Either walk with friends or take advantage of the campus shuttle or escort service when you are crossing campus at night.
Just Yell Fire has also produced an online video to raise awareness of the many dangers girls face at college and offer.On some avoidance strategies.
It includes is a Dating Bill of Rights to remind girls they have rights in relationships, e.g. to report violence against them, to have friends outside of a relationship … to help stop dating abuse, according to a Just Yell Fire press release.
Finally, there are some street-fighting get away tips from expert martial artists that any girl can use to get away from someone twice their size, the release said.
The attached YouTube video is a trailer for the video, "Just Yell Fire – Campus Life." You may view the whole video on the Just Yell Fire website.
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Contemporary college life comes with some potential hazards — date rape and muggings being among the most serious.
Last weekend, for example, two young women were robbed at gunpoint four blocks south of the Cal campus, according to the UC Berkeley Police Department. A few days earlier, two summer school students sitting on the exterior steps of their dorm were also robbed by two armed men.
Just Yell Fire, a nonprofit organization that focuses on violence against girls and young women, has these suggestions for new college freshmen. Many of them apply to young men as well.
Parties – A great social life is part of the college experience, but remember —never put down your beverage and come back to it. Date rape drugs are prevalent on the college scene and are impossible to detect without a test kit. Go to parties as a group, watch out for each other and leave together. Alcohol is involved in the majority of university sexual assaults and a nice guy can quickly turn into a different and violent person when he is under the influence.
ATMs and Parking Lots – Cash machines and parking lots are frequent stops in college. Unfortunately the bad guys see ATMs in less-traveled areas as a hunting ground; ditto dark parking lots, the site of a high percentage of campus assaults. Make a very-public ATM your cash source and either avoid poorly lighted or deserted parking lots or go with a friend. For predator avoidance there’s safety in numbers. Try to avoid parking next to vans, or if one has parked next to you, go back and ask a security guard to escort you to your car.
Hall Cruising – A big trend in on-campus violence comes from hall cruising, where innocent=appearing predators gain access to dorms, sororities or residence halls by trusting residents. They then cruise the halls looking for unlocked doors to find their victim. Put a stop to this type of violence by always locking your dorm room door and never giving strangers access to your building.
Campus Shuttle – Late-night library or social visits are part of college life. but coming home you are often alone, and while campuses seem like islands of safety, they are open to outsiders from every direction. Either walk with friends or take advantage of the campus shuttle or escort service when you are crossing campus at night.
Just Yell Fire has also produced an online video to raise awareness of the many dangers girls face at college and offer.On some avoidance strategies.
It includes is a Dating Bill of Rights to remind girls they have rights in relationships, e.g. to report violence against them, to have friends outside of a relationship … to help stop dating abuse, according to a Just Yell Fire press release.
Finally, there are some street-fighting get away tips from expert martial artists that any girl can use to get away from someone twice their size, the release said.
The attached YouTube video is a trailer for the video, "Just Yell Fire – Campus Life." You may view the whole video on the Just Yell Fire website.
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