Campus safety concerns some students
posted by Jelia Hepner | November 25, 2015 | In NewsIn 2014, there were 23 crimes reported on Fayetteville State University, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security Analysis. That is down from the previous two years, and nearly half of the crime reported in 2012.
But the perception among the students is that crime is on the increase. It seems as though every time a student opens up a newspaper or watches the news, they come across tragedies, such as school shootings, violence and assaults on college campuses. These incidents happen so often these days that it doesn’t hold a shock us anymore.
When students make the choice to attend college, one of their top concerns will always be about their safety on campus. Many incidents such as robberies, assaults and harassment on campus can trigger strong emotions, which can cause worry and panic within the student body. Within the first two months of the 2015 fall semester, FSU reported of two incidents of robbery of students on campus via email to the student body.
Yoshi Lashae, a student who lives on campus at FSU, stated, “Sometimes I don’t feel safe even during the day walking alone on campus. You just never know who might try to attack you or rob you.”
FSU students have many complaints when dealing with the safety on campus. They usually are about people who are not students coming on campus causing discomfort to those who are students. “There have been times I would come back to my dorm room from class and will see some individuals who were not FSU students outside hanging out of the dorm building. It did not bother me as much but it did make me kind of alarmed and made me start watching my surroundings more. When you don’t recognize certain individuals you just become more alarmed to what is going on around you,” stated junior Premilla KeAsia.
The university has security guards that patrol the university 24/7 on campus, trying to decrease the opportunities of individuals trying to create disruption.
There are many tools students can use in order to better their safety on campus. Safety doesn’t stop at FSU security, but it takes a whole community to make sure that all students are safe on campus.
- It’s a good idea for students to be aware of their surroundings, make sure they know the company they surround themselves with.
- If students do invite individuals who are not affiliated with the university on campus, those individuals need to understand the safety policies and student should notify authorities when they see a person(s) look or doing suspicious activities.
- Students can keep safe is by avoiding walking alone (if possible).
- If wearing headphones while walking, make sure the volume is not too loud to where you can’t hear.
- Students should know where the safety emergency boxes are located around campus.
No student can ever completely avoid any type of violence, harassment or assault, but students can know ways of trying to lessen their chance of being involved in any type of incident that can lead to harm on campus.
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