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WPCNR THE DAILY BAILEY. News & Comment. By John Bailey. August 23, 2007: As thousands of college students head for campus this week for the first time, it occurred to me that, no matter how much parents talk about taking care of yourself, you cannot talk about personal security enough. WPCNR has prepared these thoughts on things any college student should keep in mind when living life on campus…anywhere. Every college campus has a College Safety Handbook, and WPCNR urges students to read it over thoroughly, investigate security resources and how you can use them, before you have to. Here is one highly paranoid person’s thoughts on taking care of yourself on campus:
Protect yourself at all times on Campus.
SECURITY NOTES UPON PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE for College
1. Never leave your dorm room or apartment unlocked – even if just going down the hall. And, do not leave your door ajar when you are in the room.
2. Never give your dorm room key card or room/apartment number or credit card number or social security number to anyone in person, or over the phone or in an e-mail. Try not to leave important documents on display in your room. Keep belongings with you at all times when attending classes
3. Always tell persons where you are going and where you will be and when you expect to be back.
4. Do not hitch a ride. When riding public transit, move with crowds. Stay close to police officers on duty. The police officer is your friend at all times. I mean even if you are intoxicated, go to a police officer and say, “officer, I am not feeling well, can you help me?”
5. Always have your pocketbook/wallet/with personal information in your hand or on your person…do not lay it down.
6. Addendum to 5, if at ice rinks, athletic venues…leave personal affects in skate bag in a very inaccessible place in the bag – or in a locked storage locker, if provided. This may not always be possible.
7. Consider leaving personal cards you need, i.e., social security card, credit card…i.d. card…driver’s license in dorm room…in safe place where you live…locked desk or something like that…nothing would be worse than losing the driver’s license because you took it with you. (Anyway this is something you need to work out and be aware of. If there is a safe in the dorm office…consider putting your i.d. papers in there.) You should also memorize your social security number.
8. If you are a woman, do not go up to a boy’s room alone with him, unless you are prepared to make out…and do not go up with a group of boys – that is a recipe for disaster. They will think you are consenting to their taking liberties with you sexually. That is the way most young men think. (Of course, no boy from White Plains would ever think that, right?)
9. Do not go to an off campus function or even a campus function without thinking out an alternative means of returning to campus…and always make sure people know where you went and who you are with.
10. If you are at a function where alcoholic beverages are being served, make sure you see the beer bottle being opened before it is poured for you – and mix your own drink. Stop at two drinks.
11. Do not have unprotected sex. Both young men and women for their own protection should demand condoms. This reporter knows one young woman, a friend of my niece, a great athlete, not living in this area who had unprotected sex and from that one encounter became pregnant.
Protected sex also prevents contracting sexually transmitted diseases (AIDS, Herpies, etc.), which severely limits your personal choices later in life – and, simply can kill you.
12. Always take a cellphone with you, but keep it on your person at all times, in your hand even or on your wrist, not in a pocketbook (this is directed towards women, more so than men.)
13. Should you be attacked or mugged, or approached with an armed individual, I’d recommend surrendering the wallet, the money, whatever and do not fight back. If you are attacked sexually, you have to analyze rather quickly if it is a threat to your life. If you think they are going to kill you – defecating or urinating on the attacker or kicking them in their private parts may buy you sometime to escape. If you surrender to the attack, you must report it to protect yourself against Sexually Transmitted Diseases the sexual attacker might be carrying. Nationally, statistics show that you a 50% chance of getting the attacker to break off his assault if you scream, and an 85% chance of stopping the attack if you resist quickly and forcibly by assault eyes, nose, face, stomach knees and groin. Seek the advice of the police or campus security personnel on how to deal with a robbery, mugging, sexual attack situation so you can have a reaction plan. Don’t just take WPCNR’s suggestions — just be aware, ask the authorities.
(The following comes from a 2006-07 college handbook detailing recommendations on dealing with sexual assault:)
Sexual Assault Prevention
and Awareness
Recommended Actions Following
an Assault
• Take the survivor to a safe place. Find out if he/she has physical injuries.
• If the assault took place on campus, ask the survivor if he/she wants to report the assault to
the Department of Public Safety.
• If the assault occurred off campus, call the Police Department.
• Let the survivor know there are resources he/she can utilize. See section on “Safety Related
Counseling Resources.”
• Survivors and those assisting them are advised that it may be very important to promptly seek assistance
in preserving evidence which may be necessary to the proof of criminal sexual conduct.
• Be respectful of the survivor’s privacy. Let her/him decide who to tell and how much to tell them.
• Reinforce for the survivor that the assault was not their fault.
Acquaintance Rape
On college campuses, the most prevalent type of sexual assault is acquaintance rape. In acquaintance
rape, the attacker can be a friend, relative, spouse, lover, neighbor, co-worker, employer, employee, etc.
It is not unusual for acquaintance rape to include physical force, with or without a weapon.
Domestic Violence
According to the Domestic Violence Project, Inc., domestic violence is a pattern of coercive control
that one person exercises over another. Abusers use physical and sexual violence, threats, emotional and
psychological abuse, and economic deprivation to control their partners and get their way. People who are
living together, having sex, or dating can be in violent relationships, not just married people.
Domestic assault refers to the types of abuse which are crimes. Hitting, choking, shoving, slapping, biting, burning,
and kicking someone is a crime, as is forcing someone to have sex. Domestic assault is against the law.
Safety Tips
PROTECTION
AGAINST SEXUAL
ASSAULT
The keys to personal safety are awareness and assertiveness.
• Look assertive, confident, and aware of your surroundings.
• Trust your intuition. If a particular situation makes you
feel uncomfortable or unsafe, choose an alternative. Don’t
be afraid to ask for help.
• Keep keys accessible and wear comfortable clothing for added
safety and defense.
• Turn around and confront someone you think is following
you – the surprise of a hostile look will deter most assailants.
Remember, their greatest advantage is the element of
surprise.
• In attempted sexual assaults, approximately 50% of the
women escape if they yell, and up to 85% escape if they
physically resist quickly and vigorously.
• Know vulnerable targets of the assailant:
eyes, nose, throat, stomach, kneecaps,
and groin.
Safety Tips
PREVENTING
ACQUAINTANCE
RAPE
• Be honest; communicate what you want honestly and respectfully.
• Be aware of what is taking place around you.
• Trust your instincts, stand up for yourself, and be willing to “make a scene.”
• Support your friends, do not pressure them when they are unsure about a situation.
• It is never okay to force yourself on any individual.
• Be aware that “force” can be emotional coercion and
intimidation as well as physical force.
• Remember – “No” means NO!
Stalking
Some stalking behaviors include following a person, repeated and unwanted phone calls or e-mail contact and leaving
gifts for the victim.
Safety Tips
STALKING
• Report all incidents to police.
• Explain how you were frightened, terrorized, distressed, or threatened.
Regarding sexual attacks by strangers or someone you know or on a date – as a woman you have to be aware of not putting yourself in environments that may be conducive to sneak attacks by sexual assaulters – like walking alone, leaving in a state of intoxication, accepting rides from persons you do not know even though they are part of a social milieau. The rule of thumb is trust no one to be absolutely good, trust – but do not trust them to be good too much.
14. Report attempted date rape, and make it clear to the dreamboat turned U-Boat that if he proceeds you will report him for date rape. WPCNR advises asking campus counselors and the police for advice on handling sexual attack situations so you might formulate a strategy to talk a person out of attacking you or blunting the attack. It’s reality and something that every young woman – and young man should be aware of and have a response sequence to work with.
15. The same can be said for young men, who are obviously possible targets of muggings should they become incapacitated or walking alone in a honky tonk part of town. Witness the mugging on the White Plains street the other night when a person was helped from a bar because he was intoxicated then rolled for his wallet – as if he was on skid row. Even Rodeo Drive is not safe.
16. When you are feeling sick, do not be afraid to call home for advice, and by all means check into your campus clinic.
17. If you drive, always lock the car and avoid parking in isolated areas of a parking lot. Carry a spare tire and learn to change one and operate a jack.
18. In attending sporting events in enemy towns, be discreet in wearing school colors and bragging about your school, you do not want to be a flashpoint for a fight in the stands. This goes for young men more than young women. Do not drink too much in the stands, guys – you lose self-control and could get into a fracas.
19. In fracases, always be aware persons you are hassling with, may have knives or guns on their persons. Flight is better than a fight.
20. Keep an eye on what is going on around you at all times.
21. Beware of perfect strangers offering you help, rides, or favors.
22. Set two alarm clocks ten minutes apart.
23. When doing laundry, avoid being in the laundry areas alone late at night. You become a target of opportunity.
24. Call campus police for escorts late at night. It’s not being a baby. It’s smart.
25. Call the police for assistance or advice on security matters in your new town.
26. Avoid sport drinking. And drinking games. Alcohol overdose is a common cause of death for young persons.
27. When offered drugs – they should be refused number one because there is no upside – only cause for great personal destruction. But, it is important to realize you have no idea of the quality of the drug, its potency, and well – a dirty drug/needle/whatever could kill you. Trying drugs because it is the thing to do is a sucker bet, not smart, not good for you. Look at Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan – persons who may be rich, but cannot manage their own behavior because of their social ineptitude and lack of street smarts. Being street smart is not trying everything and doing everything, it’s keeping your head and looking out for yourself.
28. Watch out for the body enhancements – tattoos, body jewelry, piercings – if you must have them – make sure they are executed responsibly and sanitary, not by Sloppy Louie’s Skid Row Tattoos.
29. Eat a balanced meal once in awhile – starch, carbos, chicken tenders, burhers while good will fatten you up fast when coupled with the sedentary lifestyle brought on by the academic grind, mixed with the nonstop party circuit of chips, cheetos, ice cream and Bud campus life (as my daughter says, every school’s a party school), it is important you do not pile on the excess carbos that can put on the weight fast. At least one salad a day, fish, please?
30. Avoid the eat out/midnight snack syndrome, you will run through that hard-earned summer bankroll real fast on the Applebee’s and Beer circuit.
31. In accessing ATM machines do so in a very visible location and assure it is not occupied by a lurker. Never withdraw more than $60 at a time.
32. Consult campus technical experts on preventing computer theft and unauthorized access to your personal computer.
33. Have fun.
