Being on college campuses, like Ohio Northern’s, can give students a false sense of safety when being surrounded by their peers. Students don’t realize everything they can implement to keep safe and knowledgeable throughout their years on campus.
I’m going to share my top five tips on how to keep aware and safe on campus. While these are tips for Ohio Northern’s campus, they can be used anywhere at anytime.
#1 – Always lock your doors
It is easy to get relaxed in college and forget to lock your door or leave it open for a friend, but, remembering to lock your door to your dorm room or house is important. When the door is not locked anyone can walk in as they please.
An easy way to remember your key so you don’t get locked out, is to keep in on a lanyard connected to your student ID so it is always with you.
#2 – Locate the emergency systems on campus
Located all around campus are emergency systems with bright blue lights on top. These allow anyone to come up and press a button to call emergency services if a situation is unsafe or someone is in need of help.
If you aren’t near emergency systems, calling 911 is always an option.
#3 – Never walk alone at night
Although Ohio Northern is a smaller campus, it is still unsafe to walk alone at night. Either drive, have a friend walk with you, or call campus security to escort you to a location.
Ohio Northern’s public safety offers after hour escorts to students who call.
#4 – Know your way around campus
It is always important to know your general surroundings. On top of that knowing how to get around campus will help you feel secure in any situation.
Having this knowledge can come in handy if you get stuck in a situation you need to get away from.
#5 – Consider carrying pepper spray, a whistle, or taking self-defense courses
While pepper spray can seem a little over the top, having a whistle can help deter an attacker by the cause of commotion. Also having self-defense skills can come in handy if an attacker gets ahold of you and you need to fight back.
On occasion the Ohio Northern University will hold self-defense classes to help educate students on safety.
Although these things might not be of use to students at this exact moment, being educated will help them be prepared for any moment. These are just small steps that will help grow students personal safety on Ohio Northern’s campus.