Staying Safe on the Street

The truth is that bad things can happen anywhere. Without bringing statistics into the fray, if you don’t know some very basic things about staying safe on the street, you could run into trouble.

Recently, a Columbia University student was fatally hit by a car just north of the New York City campus fleeing a couple of troublemakers. It’s brought into questions about campus safety and security and living in perceived “bad” neighborhoods, especially (but not always) in urban areas.

Be sure to familiarize yourself with everything your public safety office has to offer. They’re not just there to bust parties. They’re there to keep you safe. Lots of schools offer call boxes throughout campus that, when pressed, immediately alerts public safety and can send someone to your location. Lots have cameras throughout campus that deter would-be criminals. Many schools also offer late-night escort services that allow students to call for rides home if they don’t want to walk back from their wherever they may be.

Of course, there could be the random time you’re stopped by someone, possibly scammed into giving money. For me, it was having someone bump into me then claiming I broke whatever he was holding. It was late at night and I was alone. In classic scam fashion, it was demanded I then turn over money to make up for his loss. I panicked, but handed over $10 and kept walking. It was a sound lesson in my own safety being more valuable than $10.

I know friends that carry mace late at night. I don’t condone that type of defense, but it’s perfectly sensible. Students can easily come off as targets, especially in poorly lit areas, alone, late at night. There’s a perhaps reasonable expectation that they’re mostly defenseless. The trick, of course, is to not fall into a defenseless trap and to best avoid situations where the likelihood of confrontation may occur.

It’s impossible to keep entire universities completely safe, but with a bit of common sense and utilization of resources provided by universities, it’s easy to stay safe.