Volume 3   Issue  34  September   2004

       

College Outdoor Safety Tips

Ronald Porep

It feels so good to be on your own.
You graduated high school in June so no more school security staff or teachers watching your every move.  Unfortunately, there are people on campus watching you – criminals.  They watch you at the ATM.  They watch you coming and going to class or the library.  They even watch you jog.  But you can drop off their attention radar quite simply. 
  • Don't carry a lot of cash.  
  • Women should carry money somewhere other than their purses.  
  • Men should carry their wallets in an inside coat pocket or a front pants pocket.  
  • Don't be flashy. Expensive clothes and jewelry can make you a target for thieves.  
  • Expensive electronics also make you a prime target so buy a cheap portable music player to job with and keep your Ipod in your room.
  • Avoid shortcuts through dark, secluded areas. 
  • Stay where other people are around. 
  • Avoid areas where thieves may be hiding.  
  • Do not walk alone.  If you are on campus you can call campus security for an escort between dusk and dawn.  
  • Walk with confidence. Thieves are more likely to single out those who appear hesitant or unsure of themselves.   
  • And, when walking to your house or car, have your keys ready so you will spend as little time as possible in the open. 
  • By the way, look in the backseat before you enter your car as that is a favorite place to hide of the serious criminal such as a rapist.

If campus criminals think you are aware and have nothing worth stealing, they will focus on someone else.  If though, a campus criminal focuses on you despite all the precautions you have taken, here are ways to handle the confrontation.  
  • If you are being harassed, loudly say, "Leave me alone!" If that doesn't stop the harassment, continue to attract people's attention and head towards a store or another place where other people are around.  
  • Set off the personal alarm you bought before you got to school.  The more attention you attract, the less a criminal wants anything to do with you.
  • Try to stay out of arm's reach of the attacker.  
  • Don't let the attacker move you into an alley or car.  
  • Your best defense if the attacker persists is to scream and run.  
  • If the criminal is determined to take your valuables, give them to him. Nothing is worth being severely injured or killed for.
  • And, burn the criminal’s appearance into your mind.  Was he black or white?  Was his hair long or short?  Did he have a beard?  What type of clothing was he wearing.  

The better you can describe a campus criminal, the more likely he will be caught and not victimize another student.

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