When you’re in college, you are prone to attacks, bullying and various types of personal safety issues. In fact, studies from Research.com state that there are 1.4 million crimes committed in schools during the US school year. Not only that, but in 2016 alone there were 28400 crimes reported against students, property and staff on college campuses. It’s very difficult for students that live away from home to find the right approach as they try to maintain safety. And that’s why safety training is super important no matter the situation or age.
Awareness of Surroundings
When you live on a campus, it become extremely important to stay away of your surroundings. Night life in particular can bring a ton of challenges in that regard. But you also want to trust yourself and your instincts. If something feels dangerous, it’s a good idea to avoid those situations. Because if you’re not avoiding it, then you can deal with all types of issues.
So it does come in handy to address that wisely, and if you do, it will only make things better. You do want to be aware of where you go, what type of attacks are prevalent on the campus and so on. Knowing if someone you are with also has some personal safety training will help too.
Utilizing Campus Resources
We also recommend understanding what safety resources are offered by the campus. What a lot of people don’t realize is that most campuses will provide a variety of safety-related resources. In fact, these can range from emergency hotlines to safety staff on premises, even escort services. You can’t know about this unless you dig more into the info provided or talk with people on the campus.
The truth is that most campuses will offer this type of resources, and understanding that can be a lot more helpful than you expect. It’s very handy to have that info because it will only make things better in the end. Learn the safety protocols available on campus and see what can be improved and what you can do. The more you learn about these things, the better.
Smart Use of Technology
Another thing you have to consider is the use of technology. We take it for granted these days, but tech can be a true life saver. The idea here is that you have apps that can give emergency alerts, you can also access location sharing and many other benefits.
Some apps can alert people you know and tell them you are in danger. Even simple stuff like this might not seem like much, but it can assist you when you deal with problems. You want to make sure that all devices are still accessible and that you can get in touch or signal the need for help as quickly as you can. Otherwise, you won’t have the help you need.
Traveling Safely
If you travel as a college student, you want to opt for the safe travel methods. Don’t go into a car with random people. Choose public transport, biking, walking and other safe travel methods. You should also consider traveling in groups with your colleagues, if you can. Avoid isolated areas at all costs, because they are inherently dangerous and there’s no real need or reason to go there in the first place.
Personal Safety Devices
Speaking of that, you also want to have some safety tools with you. As mentioned earlier, personal alarms and devices that can signal your need for help are a priority. Other things like pepper spray or stuff that can disable the attacker should also be a thing that you want to access. Using those things responsibly and figuring out when to use them safely without damaging other people aside from attackers is of the utmost priority. That’s why, in the case of pepper spray for example, you only want to use it on the attacker directly.
Social Media and Privacy
A way attackers gain access to personal info is via social media. Unfortunately a lot of people and especially students tend to share their current location via social media. That’s bad, because attackers will know where you are and that alone can be very problematic. In general, you don’t want to share more info online than you should. Realistically, you want to keep that info for yourself and prevent oversharing stuff online, especially on socials.
Handling Confrontations
Based on data from ConsumerShield, the number of female and male victims in the case of violent crimes is equal. So gender is not as important as you may think when it comes to attackers. What you want to do is find ways to de-escalate dangerous situations. Finding help and asking people for assistance in such a case is extremely important.
If you want to de-escalate situations, you should:
- Stay calm and not attack the person, trying to defend yourself.
- Reason with the person, ask them what they want and tell them there’s no need for violence.
- If possible, try to maintain a safe distance as much as you can.
- Mind your body language, don’t exude any type of threatening behavior.
- Respect their personal space and use non-threatening words.
By employing these ideas and tips, it will be easier to avoid confrontations or at least defuse them before anything bad happens. Yes, the way you react during these times is crucial. You want to be respectful of that person and find the right way to tackle any concerns or problems, as it will only lead to a better experience. At the end of the day, you always want to focus on staying safe, and respecting other people while not getting into fights can help a lot!
Conclusion
Being proactive when it comes to safety and focusing on avoiding confrontations is very important. Staying away from dangerous locations and traveling with friends most of the time is also very helpful. You should also focus on staying informed and making sure you are always looking out for everyone. In most of these cases, safety is in numbers, and that’s how you can prevent very problematic situations. It’s stuff like that which helps immensely, and you certainly want to check it out for yourself.
