By Victoria Gladstone
Managing Editor
The campus life of the College can be defined in many different ways: strolling through Alumni Grove, grabbing a bite to eat at the Brower Student Center, or even just snapping a picture of Green Hall for the thousandth time. But something students should be reminded of is that the campus is public, and while students may appreciate the endless amount of local people walking their dogs on the sidewalks, anyone can enter campus.
Yes, the campus police station is right off of “the loop,” but some crimes can go easily undetected if students are not prepared. Luckily, there are preventative measures all members of the community can take to ensure your belongings are protected.
Here are some helpful tips to ensure anyone spending time on campus is staying safe and avoiding theft.
#1: Take advantage of lockers. Lock the lockers, don’t simply cover your belongings.
Buying a lock to keep your items secure in a locker can be a simple solution to avoiding unwanted theft in public spaces. The locker rooms in the Campus Town Fitness Center are not monitored by security cameras so these rooms tend to be hot spots for personal items being stolen.
The Campus Town Fitness Center does not supply locks to students who use their facilities. For those of you who may not be able to travel to go get a lock, they can be found at the Campus Town Barnes and Noble for around $10.
#2: Always keep your room locked, even when still in the building.
While you may trust the people living near you, whether in a dormitory or off campus, you can never be certain your room is totally safe.
Lock your room door, and keep your key on you at all times.
#3: Take personal responsibility for your stuff.
Don’t leave your belongings unattended! While this may be pretty obvious, oftentimes students forget that this applies to any place on campus. When dining on campus, avoid leaving your laptop or anything with a higher value out on a table while you grab food. People can snatch quickly.
#4: Report crimes as soon as possible.
Campus police urges the campus community to let them know of anything suspicious or potentially dangerous as early as possible to ensure they have the best chance of solving the problem.
Even if campus police are unable to immediately fix the problem, they will at least have a record and have a much better chance of finding a solution.
If you need to contact the campus police station, call the dispatcher: (609) 771-2345.
