College is an exciting time for students. It’s a time of new-found freedom, experiences and friends. As a parent, it makes sense to worry that those new freedoms could lead to an unsafe environment and those concerns are not unfounded. According to www.collegeparents.org, students age 18 to 24 report about 526,000 violent crimes each year. Six percent of female college students report a rape or attempted rape. Thirteen percent of female students say they’ve been stalked. If the numbers don’t sound that alarming, consider that it’s estimated that only 25 percent of college crimes are actually reported. Unfortunately, sending children off to college in a bubble isn’t an option. How can you help them stay safe? Consider our seven tips.
Seven Safety Tips
- Be aware. Staying alert to your surroundings is certainly not a new safety tip. However, it’s more important than ever since technology is such an integral part of our lives. Statistics show nearly two-thirds of Americans now own smart phones. Young adults are distracted by texting, listening to music or surfing the web while walking around campus. A key to staying safe is being alert to dangerous situations. Encourage your student to stay alert and to always be aware of who is around them.
- Use provisions provided by the school. Here’s a step you can take for your student. Find out what safety systems the school has in place. Colleges often have a transportation hotline that provides free rides to students after regular hours. Many campuses also have emergency call buttons and phones. Tour the campus with your student and locate these provisions.
- Get to know your way around. Getting lost or looking lost makes a student vulnerable. Avoid this situation by encouraging your student to know their surroundings well. Tour the campus during populated times, noting landmarks and outlining multiple routes from home to class.
- Use a buddy system. Parties and an active social life are a part of college life. However, having fun shouldn’t come at the expense of staying safe. Encourage your student to always have at least one person with them that they know and trust. Don’t stay at a party if your buddy needs to leave. Look out for each other. Don’t accept drinks from someone you do not know.
- Carry cash. Debit and credit cards are popular, but cash is still king. Encourage your student to always have some cash. If he or she is in a dangerous situation, don’t let a broken credit card machine prevent them from catching a cab or buying a bus ticket to safety.
- Always carry proper identification. If your child is involved in an accident or a victim of a crime and is unconscious, you want police or medical personnel to be able to identify them and contact you as soon as possible. Encourage them to always carry their id and emergency numbers in their wallet or in their smart phone. Emergency personnel will usually look through a victim’s phone first to find someone to call. Including this information in multiple places is a good idea.
- Lock your doors. Students sometimes have a false sense of security in their own home. Remind your student to not only lock their apartment’s exterior door, but also their bedroom door and any adjoining bathroom doors. Even if they know their roommates well, they may not know all their roommates’ friends well. Lock the doors when home and when they are gone.
Lastly, remember your student may need these reminders each year. The longer someone is in familiar surroundings, the greater their sense of security. They feel as if they are surrounded by their peers. What other parental advice have you found to be effective? We’d love to hear your tips.
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