College campus safety is a critical problem for young adult students, especially those with learning differences who might not be as socially savvy and as aware of incipient dangers.
With recent tragic news of students already injured on college campuses before the start of the academic semester, safety on
campus is a very important topic to discuss.
What is "safe" is subjective, but in a place where there can be a lot of "gray" physical and social situations,
it's important to note there are some very objective safety structures in place on college campuses.
When a parent drops off their young adult onto a college campus, they want the world for them. They are simultaneously proud
and overjoyed for the future of their kid, and also terrified for the safety of their child. If you can appreciate this ambivalence,
you are not alone. This is very normal for parents.
In an effort to ensure your young adult still has the opportunity to learn
and grow into an independent young adult, but be aware of dangerous situations, we have tips to share with your young person
on how they can maintain their own safety.
Here are 10 Tips to help yoour child guard their personal safety on campus:
Know where campus safety locations are on campus. In the event of an emergency when you don't have access to a phone,
know
where the campus police phones are on campus. with their blue light, they are easy to distinguish.
Remember that there is safety in numbers, especially at night: If you are walking on or near campus at night, be careful. It's always safer to walk in
a group.
Learn how to defend yourself, with devices and with techniques. Carry mace, a stun gun, a whistle, or cat eyes. Train on
self-defense techniques. Some academic classes end after the sun has set, so walking home in the dark is inevitable. Be
prepared.
Be very careful getting into a car alone. Pay attention to your surroundings (people, noises, cyclists,
etc.). Have your car alarm at the ready to bring attention to you for safety purposes.
Always lock up. Period. When you are not in your room, please lock up your door and window(s). To ensure not having
items stolen and/or unwelcome guests in your room, make sure you utilize the locks. If you want to go an extra step, buy a
lock for a desk in your room. That is beneficial for if a student if he or she has a differing schedule than their roommate,
and their roommate is bringing people in their residence hall room.
Bike riding sfety when you are the biker: When riding a bike, wear reflective gear, and a helmet, and be familiar with bike traffic signals. Several college
campuses are very bike friendly. To minimize the likelihood of injury from a bike accident, it is best to be noticed by
wearing reflective gear. The helmet is imperative when biking on roads that border campus property. If you find yourself
commuting on or off-campus, it's important to familiarize yourself with traffic signals when riding a bike.
Driving a car amid bikers and understanding bike signals: To piggyback off point #3, if you are commuting via car to campus and live in a bike-heavy community, it's important that you
understand bike signals. You will be sharing the road with cyclists and it's important to know when you have the right of way,
or what the indications of their turn signals look like.
Yield to pedestrians: Although there are pedestrian crosswalks on campus and on roads bordering campus, it's easier to err on the side of
caution in crossing than to assume that traffic is yielding to you as a pedestrian.
Learn about your neighborhood and get your physical bearings: New students are expected to have the campus map and surrounding town map memorized before arriving. With time,
students will become familiar with whether they are going to get to class, visit friends, etc. Before becoming familiar,
it's important to be careful not to get lost. Especially off-campus and especially after dark. Use the GPS on your
smart phone to get you back to where you need to be as soon as possible.
Be very careful with what you post on social media. This may be the most important tip of all! Everyone is not your friend, and you do not have to share your personal life with the world.
It doesn't matter the platform. It is not smart to post your exact
location with very detailed personal information (i.e. residence hall name and room number, or specific class, location,
and professor). This is exposing your schedule and location to anyone who is paying attention. This is extremely
dangerous.
Personal relationship-related information is no one's business but your own.Many personal pictures should never be posted.
Review safety guidelines with your child for what should be kept private. Thinking that this type of information should be shared with the world is
a terrible consequence of the popularity of social media, and has caused much more hard than good.
In the end, if you are unsure about whether your young adult can take the steps necessary to keep himself or herself safe on
a college campus, it's important to think about taking
necessary precautions. Either have health care forms signed ahead of their enrollment on a college campus, or even consider
deferring college until your child is mature enough to maintain their own safety. It's a terrifying thing to think about, but there
are a lot of ways that campuses can be safe, and just as many as they can be unsafe. Make sure your young adult knows the
difference.
Joanna Lilley, MA, NCC is a Therapeutic Consultant, Behavioral Healthcare Navigator, and Young Adult Advocate,
specializing in working with struggling young adults and their families nationally and internationally. See her site
at: www.lilley-consulting.com, contact her by phone at: (970) 218-9958, or email at: joanna@lilley-consulting.com.
Disclaimer: Internet Special Education Resources (ISER)
provides this information in an effort to help parents find local special
education professionals and resources. ISER does not recommend or endorse
any particular special education referral source, special educational methodological bias, type of special
education professional, or specific special education professional.