The checklist for what is needed for college has changed a bit over the years. A new comforter, Keurig, and pepper spray. Campus safety or lack thereof has made news consistently and just adds to parents worries as they send their children off into the real world.
“VCU is really safe. We have hundreds of ‘safety boxes’ with yellow flashing lights all around campus,” said WS alum Brianna Burns. “You can press a button on the box and security will come to you immediately.”
Being at an open, urban school causes fear in rising freshmen and their parents. Most schools, however, an extra step to make sure their students feel safe. When looking for a school, it seems that a hot talking point is safety.
“Even though University of Florida is a large school with an open campus, I’ve never felt unsafe,” said WS alum Amanda Thompson.
Going out of state, especially five states away, seems like a huge safety hazard to a lot of seniors looking for schools. If anything were to happen, it seems like no one would be able to reach you, except this is not the case.
Schools seem to prepare accordingly for a big amount of out of state students to make them feel welcome and more or less at home. Transportation to local airports and train stations are a bus ride away. Schools provide multiple methods of transportation, on campus police men, etc., to make their students feel secure, all students really need to bring to the table is common sense.
“You should never walk alone. If it’s late, walk in lit areas,” said Thompson.
It is just rule of thumb that you are not supposed to walk alone at night and always be aware of your surroundings.
In early March at George Mason University three students were found with fire bomb making materials in their dorm room, and were banned from campus. This sparked fear in students, although it has seemed to calm down.
“I think we have it pretty good here because it’s not a huge campus which makes the GMU cadets and police more effective,” said alum Will Ballard. “The majority of the walkways around campus are also lit 24/7 which I think helps keep people safe too.”
Situations like the one at GMU are pretty eye opening for rising freshman and students already at universities, so always keep in mind that safety is very important.
“You shouldn’t be scared of your campus. Just don’t walk around alone at night and you will be fine,” said Burns.