5 Campus Safety Tips Every New Student Should Know

Campus Safety Tips: As a student in 2022, there is no doubt that security risks are higher than ever. Although this current climate is intimidating, we are here to let you know that there are some valuable tips to keep in mind that can save you and your peers safe from security risks.

Here are five of the most straightforward tips you can implement in your everyday education routine to make you feel safer and more assured. 

Sign up for your school’s safety alerts

We all have the latest features on our phones, but sometimes we forget important applications to which we should definitely have access. Signing up for school safety alerts is a great idea and will give you peace of mind that you will be notified in an emergency or if there is a change to the school safety regulations that you should know about.

Check with your teachers if your school has automated safety alerts that you can sign up for. If they do, this will ensure that you are constantly in the loop with what is going on on campus, and if any risks arise, the school will notify you immediately. 

Use the buddy system

It’s all good keeping yourself safe, but educational environments are usually where you make the best friends. So, treat your fellow classmates respectfully and implement the buddy system where you can. For example, if it is late at night, walk with a friend, and always tell each other your whereabouts. 

This way, if you or your buddy had been gone longer than anticipated, you would be able to act more efficiently, making risks less severe and likely. 

Never share or loan out your door entry card or Fob credential with anyone else

Entry cards are here to protect you, so it is incredibly important that you treat them with care and don’t loan them out to anyone else. Loaning your card to someone increases the chance of unauthorized building entries, which has a knock-on effect of heightening risks.

A RFID door entry system works by recognizing a key card or device and granting access based on if the system recognizes the credentials. You will be given specialized key cards tailored to the room you need access to, meaning campus administrators can collect data on how many entrants were on the premises at a specific time. 

This increases the importance of not letting anyone else use your fob credentials as if there was an emergency; it would appear that you were on the premises at that time. But, it would actually have been someone else, meaning administrators would have to go back through the data. 

Know your university’s emergency lines and systems

If an emergency arises in your university dorm or classroom, you need to have the correct contacts to assist asap. So, ensure you have these details on your phone for the chance you ever need them. 

Emergency systems are also good to know about. So next time you walk around campus with a friend, keep an eye out for emergency call boxes so you know where they are located, or ask a staff member.

Keep all doors locked

Getting into the habit of locking every door behind you is a good mentality to get into. Whether this is a dorm room, classroom, or apartment, you should always be locking doors to ensure no unauthorized visitors can enter. 

Having locked doors is the best way to prevent theft and crime across campus and will keep you and the premises much safer. In addition, the more hurdles that a criminal has to cross to be able to take action will make them less likely to succeed in their crime. 

Final thoughts

If you keep these five safety tips in mind when on campus, you should feel much safer knowing you are actively trying to make a difference in university culture and life. Spread these tips with your peers and teachers to ensure everyone on campus can keep as safe as possible, and don’t forget to buddy up as soon as possible!

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