College campus safety and security

When you send your student off to college, you’re going to worry about them. Hey, you’re a parent — that’s your job. But if you’re confident that your student is in a safe environment and knows the basics of keeping themself safe wherever they may be, you’ll probably sleep (a little) better at night. So let’s get started with the ins and outs of staying safe while at college.

How to help your student choose a safe campus

When it comes to determining the safety of a campus, the first thing you’ll want to do is check campus safety statistics. The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to, among other things, report campus crime data. To view a college’s campus crime report, simply Google “Clery Act” followed by the college name.

It’s also a good idea to review city crime statistics in the town where a college is located, as some crime may take place near a campus. Start with the city’s police department website to find the stats.

Many colleges have a webpage dedicated to all the safety precautions they take to keep students secure. Additionally, your student can ask about what a college is doing to keep students safe during their campus visit tour. Here are some questions your student should ask:

• Does the college offer an after-hours service to escort students to their car or dorm room?
• Are residence halls secure and only accessible with an ID card? Is the front desk staffed around the clock?
• Does the college have its own police force?
• Is there a system of emergency call boxes located around campus and in parking garages that connect directly to police?
• Is there an alert system where they can be notified in case of an emergency?

How your student can stay safe on campus

Your student has lots of ways to help protect themself while on campus. Along with signing up for campus safety notifications, and being familiar with how to reach campus police or find emergency call boxes, they should also do the following:

• Know their way around campus. They should be familiar with the parts of campus they don’t go to often or at all.
• Stay alert. If they’re walking while focused on their phone or with earbuds in, they won’t know what’s going on around them and could become a target.
• If they have to be out after dark, they should walk in pairs or groups — they and their friends should look out for one another.
• Always make sure their dorm room is locked. This goes for their personal vehicle, too, even when they’re driving.
• If they’re at a party, they should always keep their drink in sight or in their hand.
• Trust their gut. If they feel uncomfortable about a situation — any situation — they should leave.

What about online safety?

Your student’s safety isn’t only physical. Online safety is important too, especially in college. Here are a few tips to keep them out of digital danger:

• Never share passwords. And speaking of passwords, they should have a different password for each online account that they use.
• They should use virus-scanning software regularly, and not open any attachment or click on any links unless they are sure it is from a trusted source.
• They should periodically review their privacy settings on social media. Ideally, their posts should only be visible to friends. And they shouldn’t accept connection requests from people they don’t know.
• They should keep their computer safe with a firewall to help prevent cyberattacks.
• They should keep the webcam on their laptop covered. Some laptops have a built-in cover. If your student’s does not, a piece of tape over the camera works just as well.

More safety tips

Let’s keep going. Here are a few more tips for a couple other places your student might go:

Public transportation

As mentioned above, they should stay alert while waiting for and on a bus or train — no earbuds or mindless scrolling on their phone.

If they feel threatened, they should alert the driver or get off at the next stop.

They should always be aware of who gets off at their stop with them. If they think they’re being followed, go inside a public place like a store, gym or bank.

Public gatherings

Here’s what to do when attending public events.

• Know where the exits are and have an escape route in case any trouble occurs.
• Report any suspicious persons or items left unattended.
• As we've mentioned, if they have a drink, they should keep it in their hand at all times.

The bottom line is that if your student understands that anything can happen anywhere to anybody, they’ll be more likely to take precautions. It’s not about scaring them or causing them excessive anxiety, it’s about helping them understand that they should take a moment to give safety a consideration. It’s also a good habit to get into — once they start regularly considering their safety, it will eventually become second nature.