Tag Archives: campus safety

Keeping Your Student Safe at College

November 18, 2021 Suzanne Shaffer 1 Comment

Sending off your child to college is something to be so proud of. But this can also be something that’s anxiety-provoking. You’ll be worrying about whether or not they’ll make friends, if they’ll have good grades, if they’re responsible enough to take care of themselves and if they’re going to stay safe. Safety tends to be the biggest concern for parents.

It’s completely understandable why. A lot of things happen on college campuses, but even outside of campuses. You’ll hear about lockdowns, muggings, alcohol poisoning, assaults, car accidents, and much much more happening on these college campuses if you look on the news. It’s scary, all of it is very scary. But the chances that your child is going to run into one of these events is quite slim. Here are some tips to ensure that your soon-to-be college freshmen are going to be safe at college.

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campus security

What Parents Need to Know About Campus Security

November 29, 2016 Suzanne Shaffer

It happened again yesterday. Our college students were face-to-face with someone who wanted to do them harm. Ohio State responded quickly and forcefully by stopping the perpetrator and avoiding student fatalities.

At 9:55 a.m., the school sent out a campus alert reporting an active shooter incident.

“Buckeye Alert: Active Shooter on campus. Run Hide Fight. Watts Hall. 19th and College,” Ohio State Emergency Management tweeted at 9:56 a.m.

“Run, hide, fight” is a safety protocol for active shooter situations promoted by the Department of Homeland Security and other law enforcement agencies. It offers a plan of action for those who find themselves in the midst of a mass shooting: Your first defense should be to evacuate if possible. If not, the next course of action is to find a safe place to hide and stay out of view in silence. As a last resort “and only when your life is in imminent danger,” says DHS, you should take steps to incapacitate the shooter and “act with physical aggression.”

In an article posted by CNN, Ohio State President Dr. Michael Drake and others credited the school’s active shooter training and the campus alert system for helping the community maintain order while the scene was secured.

What should you know about your student’s prospective college in regard to campus security?

Not only are colleges running practice scenarios with campus police, colleges all across the country are training students for this type of threat. Ohio State students used that training yesterday morning. Some piled desks and chairs up against doors in classrooms. Others barricaded themselves in bathrooms and dorms.

Your student may not be concerned about this type of scenario but every parent today knows this is a possibility. It’s up to you to ask those tough questions during campus visits (preferably away from your student’s ears).

The American Council on Education published a list of questions parents can ask when discussing this issue with campus security:

Has the school done a full assessment of potential catastrophic risks, and does it have plans in place to address these risks?
Does the school have an appropriate emergency team in place? Do team members regularly participate in emergency preparedness exercises?
Does the school have multiple means to communicate with students, faculty, and visitors in the event of an immediate, ongoing emergency situation? Do plans exist to direct people to a safe location?
What communication and coordination networks exist among campus security leadership, local law enforcement, political officials, first responders, and health officials, both on an ongoing basis and in case of emergency? Is there a specific integrated emergency response plan? Do all the agencies who might be involved in emergency run drills on campus to prepare?
Is the training of campus security personnel appropriate to potential risks?

How should you discuss campus security with your student?

Discuss the importance of contacting you in the event of this type of action. Don’t, under any circumstances, call your student to check on him. A phone ringing can alert an attacker to his whereabouts if he is hiding.

The purpose is not to scare your student, but equip him with the information and the tools he needs to be calm during this type of scenario. In an article I wrote for Smart College Visit, I outlined three steps you should take as a parent to prepare your student:

1st-Arm your student with apps to help him get in touch with help if needed: MyForce (for iPhone, and Android) and OnWatch (for iPhone and Adroid).

2nd-Make use of cellphones. Suggest using social media or texting. Remind him to immediately turn his phone to silent/vibrate and keep it in hand to view updates from campus security while the threat is in place.

3rd-View this video from the Center of Personal Protection and Safety together with your student.

Before sending your child off to college, do your homework. Make sure that if something bad does happen, the incident and the students get the attention they deserve. If you know the plan and have assurance that the college has implemented specific procedures to facilitate it, you will worry less and sleep better at night.

Wednesdays parent

Wednesday’s Parent: Top 5 Posts about Safety

July 2, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer 1 Comment

“If you were my child, I would staple you to your bedroom wall.”
― Myra McEntire, Hourglass

Safety—are we ever truly safe? Every parent has probably voiced the above words or similar ones at some time or another. All we can do is give our kids the tools they need to avoid those situations that put them in danger. And then we have to let go and trust that it is enough.

Today’s Wednesday’s Parent revisits the topic of safety with my top 5 posts about safety:

6 Campus Safety Apps

It’s sad that we live in a time when we don’t feel safe at school. Schools used to be the safest place for kids, protected by teachers and staff and away from predators. Not anymore.

Safety First

Teaching safety begins when your child begins to walk and touch things. “Watch out it’s hot!” “Be careful, you could hurt yourself.” “Look both ways before you cross the street.” When your kids go off to college you worry about their safety. Why? Because you won’t be there to protect them and see that they stay safe.

6 Campus Safety Talking Points

Parenting on good days can be frightening. You never know when some unexpected event will occur and rock your world. It’s impossible to prepare for every unexpected occurrence, but we can take the time to equip our children with the knowledge and the tools they need to keep themselves from falling into dangerous situations.

Are You Concerned About Campus Security

Even though the thought of your child attending college brings forth feelings of pride and anticipation, if they are going to be living on campus, it’s understandable why it may also evoke a certain amount of concern. We all have read the news stories of unfortunate crimes that have happened at various colleges and universities across the country prompting you to investigate the security and safety of your child’s prospective colleges.

School Shootings—What’s a Parent to Do?

Every parent of college-bound teens should ask this question during the campus visit (preferably not in the presence of your student): what systems do you have in place to protect my child in the event of an emergency such as the Virginia Tech shooting?

Read Wendy’s Post: Safety Revisited

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Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s Parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

The bonus is on the fourth Wednesday of each month when Wendy and I will host Twitter chat #CampusChat at 9pm ET/6pm PT. We will feature an expert on a topic of interest for parents of the college-bound.

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from parentingforcollege to pocsmom.com and vice versa.

App Tuesday, campus security

6 Safety Apps for Students

June 17, 2014 Suzanne Shaffer 3 Comments

It’s sad that we live in a time when we don’t feel safe at school. Schools used to be the safest place for kids, protected by teachers and staff and away from predators. Not anymore. As evidenced by the recent school shootings in Oregon and Washington, and the frightening Virginia Tech massacre, parents are naturally concerned about sending their kids off to college. And it’s not just college, the Newton shootings and the Columbine shootings make it clear that kids of all ages are at risk.

Today’s App Tuesday post addresses the need for safety apps. A pay phone or flagging down a police officer used to be our only defense against dangerous criminals and psychotic shooters like the gunman on the University of Texas campus years ago. But today, students are armed with a valuable weapon: their smartphone with safety apps—giving them instant access to authorities, parents and other students.

Following are six safety apps you should arm your students with during high school and college:

1. Guardly

Students can instantaneously connect with friends and family in emergencies with Guardly. With a few taps, users can dial for help or send out an alert. Triggering an alert enables real-time location tracking. Students can also capture and send photos to mobile contacts or authorities in non-threatening emergencies. On the app’s map, users can see which friends and family members are nearby. Another in-app defense lets students sound off a blaring siren to “deter would-be attackers” and “signal for help.”

Price: Free iOS, Android and Blackberry app with $1.99 monthly subscription or $19.99 one-year subscription. App comes with a few free features.

2. Circle of 6

The Circle of 6 app is designed to help college students out of potentially dangerous situations. On the app, users should connect the phone numbers of up to six close friends. These should be classmates, roommates or trusted individuals in the area. In uncomfortable situations, users can safely and discreetly send a mass message for help. By pressing the car icon, users send out a text complete with your current GPS location. Your safety network will get your message and pick you up. Tapping the phone icon will send out a message that says, “Call and pretend you need me. I need an interruption,” to the six preset numbers. For true emergencies, students can call 911 from within the app. The app’s chat icon links users to information online about healthy relationships.

Price: Free iPhone and Android app

3. MyForce

When you’re walking home at night or crossing a desolate part of campus by yourself, just pull out the MyForce app in case of emergencies. By hitting the app’s bright red button, you’ll trigger a discreet alarm. Once the alert is triggered, MyForce will start recording your call and pinpoint your present location. The monitoring operator who you connect with will determine it’s an emergency and call 911. Your emergency contacts will also be alerted.

Price: Free iPhone, Android and Blackberry smartphone app (with monthly subscription)

4. OnWatch

This personal safety app lets college students alert friends and authorities immediately in emergencies. There are six app functions: calling 911 and friends, calling 911 only, calling campus police, the “Watch my Back” setting (timed alert that must be disabled with passcode), contacting friends, and the “I’m here” setting. When you walk home and want to let friends or family know you’ve arrived safely, the “I’m here” setting does just that. The “I’m Here” text, call 911 only and call campus police functions are free with the app. The emergency friends, flashlight and alarm functions are available for a $2.99 fee. The complete package is available for $4.99 a month.

Price: Free iPhone and Android

5. Watch Over Me

Watch Over Me is a personal safety app designed to help look out for you when you need it the most. The app automatically turns your iPhone into a powerful personal safety device for daily use. If you’ve ever called a friend while feeling unsafe, this is the app for you. Whether you’re going for a run, walking to your car, walking home, taking a cab, or meeting someone for the first time, all you have to do is let Watch Over Me know and it’ll watch over you via GPS throughout your journey. If you fail to check-in safely once you’re done, Watch Over Me will alert your emergency contact list immediately and provide them with your location on a map. Subscriptions are available to enhance the app.

Price: Free iPhone and Android

6. OnCall Defender

Advanced Mobile Protection (AMP) cares about safety and prevention. The app delivers 24-hour personal security and medical assistance coverage at your finger tips. You can download the app for free and choose the subscription plan that’s best for you. The subscription is $19.99 a month. However, a special promotional offer is available to save over 40% on the year subscription if you choose to pay in advance.

Price: iPhone with subscription

campus security, Sponsored posts

Campus safety tips for new students on campus

December 18, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

College students have enough to think about as they set off on the road to higher education. However, in addition to classes and socializing, students have to think about all aspects of their safety. This includes physical safety as well as other forms of security. College students can take a few proactive steps to help reduce the chances that they will fall victim to a crime by following these campus safety tips.

Learn About Campus Security

One of the first things college students need to do is find out about what types of services campus security offers. For instance, some security services may include escort services during the evening while some campuses even provide safe ride services. Of course, knowing when campus security patrols the area can also help when making plans to leave and enter various areas of campus that appear less safe than others. This can also help with getting access to buildings after hours for those who work with student functions.

Many campuses will also include other services such as sending student alerts to crimes in the area. Many may send alerts to email addresses, but some allow students to receive text messages for more immediate alerts. It is also a good idea to find out if campus security has a social media presence on sites such as Twitter or Facebook as well as a mobile app that can keep students updated on campus issues.

Learn the Campus

Learning about campus security also means learning about the campus itself. Most larger campuses take many steps to ensure the safety of students. For instance, many include lighted pathways for students. It is also a good idea to learn layouts within buildings to check for emergency exits in case of fire and other emergencies that can occur at unexpected moments.

Protect the Digital Footprint

These days, it is also very important for students to protect themselves online. Many people use online platforms such as social media to harass and stalk others because they believe they are anonymous. Unfortunately, many times the authorities will not act on such instances until they have reached advanced stages, so students need to be careful about how much and what kind of information they share about themselves online.

Students also need to protect themselves in other ways when it comes to using their online technology. Information can be stolen from laptops, smartphones and other mobile devices, so students should lock them and secure them in other ways so that unauthorized persons cannot steal their personal information. This also means protecting passwords by changing them every once in a while and making sure they are not obvious passwords such as the names of pets, family members or friends.

Be Proactive

Of course, students can also take a few proactive steps to help prevent them from falling victim to a crime. Students should plan accordingly when they know they will be on campus late so that they can make arrangements and have someone walk with them back to dorms or apartments. They should also make sure cell phones or smartphones are charged and have emergency numbers programmed into them in case of an emergency.

While it is important to focus on the educational aspects of the college experience, it is also very important to make sure college students keep themselves safe during their tenure. Students need to know how to navigate their way around campus. They also need to know what types of help they can expect from campus security resources. These days, students also need to know how to protect themselves online to prevent a number of cyber crimes including harassment and identity theft.

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Author Bio

Sarah Daren is a writer who creates informative articles relating to the field of health. In this article, she offers safety tips to new university students and aims to encourage further study with an Emergency Management Masters Degree.

campus security, Uncategorized

Wednesday’s Parent: Safety First

September 11, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer 2 Comments

Wednesday’s child may be full of woe but Wednesday’s parent can substitute action for anxiety. Each Wednesday Wendy and I will provide parent tips to get and keep your student on the college track. It’s never too late or too early to start!

Wednesday’s Parent will give twice the info and double the blog posts on critical parenting issues by clicking on the link at the end of the article from www.pocsmom.com to www.parentingforcollege.com and vice versa.

This post is about how parents can convey the importance of academics to prepare their child for college:

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Sign up for my FREE parent tips email and get my FREE Ebook on college financing!

Apart from an act of random violence or the actions of a psychotic shooter, parents can train their kids through the stages of life to make wise choices to assure their safety when they leave for college. It’s never too late, or too early to start.

Avoid contact with strangers

This danger has taken on a whole new level with the advent of social media. Most kids know that they shouldn’t talk to strangers in real life; but have you taught them to avoid stranger contact online? It’s easy online for predators to build a relationship with a child and get them to trust them. Then, the next step is to coerce them to meet in person. Before your kid leaves for college, make it perfectly clear that this type of behavior is dangerous. Explain the dangers and use real stories if you must—it may seem harsh at first but until they see this is possible, they may not believe you.

Use the buddy system

Grade school, middle school, high school, and college—train your kids to use the buddy system. Teach them to never walk anywhere alone, go to a party alone, go to a mall alone, or anywhere they could potentially be unsafe. Remember Natalie Holloway? She might still be alive if she hadn’t broken this rule. This is a tough lesson to swallow and many adults don’t practice this safety tip. But in this world, being alone in any situation can put you in a place where danger is imminent.

Pay attention to your surroundings

Teach your kids to notice anything out of the ordinary. We all get that “gut” feeling when things just don’t seem right. They will know when something is amiss. Is there a car that doesn’t belong? Do they see someone that shouldn’t be where they are, like an adult hanging around a playground alone watching kids? Are there guys hanging around that make your daughters feel threatened? This one skill in itself could ensure their safety.

Follow the rules

We all teach our kids to follow the rules. It’s a basic tenant of growing up. Stand in line. Take your turn. Share with others. Do what your teacher tells you to do. When you hear the fire alarms walk calmly out of the building and stay with your teacher. But this learned safety tactic can also help them even more when they go to college. Rules are put in place to protect them on and off campus. If they learn this lesson early on they will carry it with them to college where their safety might be compromised.

Don’t make decisions that compromise your safety

Texting and driving have become a hot topic lately. When your teenager takes the wheel you nag and nag about not texting while driving. This is a decision that could cost them their life. Decisions become even more critical in college; especially in regards to drinking and driving, underage drinking, hooking up with strangers and walking around alone late at night. Making the wrong decision could mean the difference between having a good time, ending up in jail, or worse—dead. Scary stuff for parents. It should be just as scary for your kids.

Get help if you need it

Adults often overlook this simple lesson. But so many times, if we had just asked for help, outcomes might have been different. Teach your kids to always be comfortable asking for help. It won’t only translate well into all areas of their lives, but it will help assure they know to ask for help if they feel threatened or in danger.

With all the dangers in the world today, parents are even more concerned about the safety of their kids. If you teach them when they are young, they will carry those lessons with them to college.

Read POCSMom’s advice about putting safety first.

campus security, parenting

Anxious moments after the Boston Marathon explosions

April 16, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

Parents all across the country watched and listened as the reports of explosions at the Boston Marathon began to flood the media. Since yesterday was a holiday in Boston, and for the colleges, students often attend the Red Sox game and/or the Boston Marathon. Almost immediately parents began to text and call their students who were attending college in Boston to check on their safety. The problem: cell service was immediately flooded with calls and eventually shut down to hinder any possible detonations using cellphones.

When I heard the news yesterday, I immediately posted on Facebook asking my Boston friends and family to check in–cellphone towers were down and I could not communicate with them. One of my Twitter contacts, @PreppedPolished (Alexis Avila) was running the marathon. I was receiving text updates of his progress but, of course, they stopped. I immediately posted on Twitter and Facebook asking anyone to let us know if they heard from him. Later that evening, he responded to my tweet that he was stopped at the 25 mile mark and his family and friends were safe.

Colleges used social media

Where did parents turn for immediate updates? Facebook and Twitter. Not long after the explosions, colleges took action using social media. Colleges began directing parents to their college websites where students could check in and parents could confirm their safety. Throughout the day, these colleges updated parents regarding the situations on campus and the measures that would be taken to secure the students’ safety. For many parents who could not connect with their students, this helped calm them until they made contact.

What can we learn?

This attack will evoke fear in the hearts of every parent whose student is attending college or preparing for college. But they should also gain comfort from the fact that the colleges in the Boston area had in place a plan to communicate with parents and ensure student safety. Colleges have emergency communication services in place for tragedies such as the terror attack at the Boston Marathon.

What should parents do?

Parents should know what systems are in place to contact them and notify students in the event of an emergency. “Like” the college’s Facebook page, follow the colleges on Twitter, and bookmark the college website. When visiting colleges, ask them about their emergency preparations and precautions, and ask about the methods they will use to communicate to parents and students.

Tragedies like this tend to affect parents deeply. They worry about sending their kids off to college and being unable to protect them. But they can be comforted in knowing that even though there is evil in the world, there is also great compassion. I will close this post by posting a quote from Mr. Rogers that was circulating around Facebook yesterday that I saw on Kelly’s Facebook page ( @CollegeVisit):

campus security

More on campus safety

March 11, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

Regarding the last post on campus safety, FindTheData.com offers a free to use reference and comparison utility for parents and students. You can use the search filters on the left to filter by institution name, location, school type, total students, total crime, and major individual crimes. The individual crime filter lets you know how many reported cases of major crimes occurred in a given year, such as murder, forcible rape, aggravated assault, robbery, and burglary.

However, it’s important to note that these are crimes that have been reported on campus. It’s also useful knowing the crime rate statistics for the city that the college is located in as well.

campus security, college guidance, college planning, in the news

Are you concerned about campus security?

March 7, 2013 Suzanne Shaffer

Although the thought of your child attending college brings forth feelings of pride and anticipation, if they are going to be living on campus, it’s understandable why it may also evoke a certain amount of concern. We all have read the news stories of unfortunate crimes that have happened at various colleges and universities across the country prompting you to investigate the security and safety of your child’s prospective colleges.

As matter of fact, just this past January, the Huffington Post published an article that featured the “Top 10 safest colleges within the United States”. Some of the schools on that list included Southern University at New Orleans, Virginia Western Community College and Erkskin College and Seminary in Due West, South Carolina. However, if your child is planning to attend another school, thanks to the Office of Postsecondary Education of the U.S. Department of Education, there is something called the Campus Safety and Security Data Analysis Cutting Tool that provides up-to-date information on alleged criminal offenses that have been reported to campus security offices across the country (you can read more about this at Ope.Ed.Gov/security).

But, if you would like a checklist of things to inquire about as it relates to your child’s college campus and its level of security, we have provided you with five things that can help to put your mind at ease below:

Ask if there is 24-hour campus security. Every college campus has security officers and most of them have patrol cars, but not all of them necessarily have 24-hour security that is available should your child need to be escorted to their car or dorm room very late at night. Therefore, it’s important to not assume that there is this kind of assistance available. Make sure to ask.

Look to see if the campus is well-lit (at all times). Something as simple as a broken light in a parking lot or in an alley in between builds can lead to a criminal act. That’s why it’s vital that you tell your child to make sure that the campus is well-lit at night and if they see any broken lights to immediately report it to campus security or the administration.

Inquire about self-defense classes. One wonderful thing about college is that there tends to be classes for just about anything that your student can think of. So, encourage them to see if there are self-defense classes that are offered on campus and if so, let them know how smart it would be of them to take a few.

Mention Safe Place USA. There is a a great deal of petty theft that tends to happen on college campuses. While paying the cost of a home security system for a dorm room doesn’t make the most logical sense, there is an alternative. If your child needs a place to store expensive jewelry and other really valuable items, one option to consider is Safe Place USA. It’s a company that specializes in providing in-room safes for universities. (SafePlace-USA.com)

Ask if it is mandatory to wear student/staff IDs. Another thing that sometimes leads to criminal activity is when people who are not students or staff are hanging out, constantly, on campus. One way to determine who is supposed to be on the grounds and who is not is for students and staff to have their ID on their person at all times. It might seem a bit tedious to do, but if it can help to keep people safe by making everyone aware of who is entitled to be on campus and who is not.

campus security, parenting

School shootings–What’s a parent to do?

August 13, 2012 Suzanne Shaffer

I just got a news update on my iPhone saying that police had shot and killed a gunman at Texas A&M University this afternoon. The details are sketchy right now but it made me think about the importance of campus alert systems and some of the questions parents need to ask during the selection process.

Texas A&M responded quickly:

Texas A&M issued a Code Maroon — the university’s emergency notification system — at 12:29 p.m. CT (1:29 p.m. ET), telling people to avoid the area where there was a report of an “active shooter.” The entire ordeal lasted around 15 minutes, with an 12:44 p.m. update also posted on the university’s website indicating the alleged gunman was by then “in custody.”

Every parent of college-bound teens should ask this question during the campus visit (preferably not in the presence of your student):

What systems do you have in place to protect my child in the event of an emergency such as the Virginia Tech shooting?

The American Council on Education published a list of questions school leaders should ask themsleves. Parents should expect answers to these questions when discussing this issue with campus security:

Has the school done a full assessment of potential catastrophic risks, and does it have plans in place to address these risks?
Does the school have an appropriate emergency team in place? Do team members regularly participate in emergency preparedness exercises?
Does the school have multiple means to communicate with students, faculty, and visitors in the event of an immediate, ongoing emergency situation? Do plans exist to direct people to a safe location?
What communication and coordination networks exist among campus security leadership, local law enforcement, political officials, first responders, and health officials, both on an ongoing basis and in case of emergency? Is there a specific integrated emergency response plan? Do all the agencies who might be involved in emergency run drills on campus to prepare?
Is the training of campus security personnel appropriate to potential risks?

The president of Virginia Tech also mandated several internal reviews following the VT tragedy to evaluate the school’s existing emergency plan. The review committees’ recommendations included the following (things you should expect from your own school’s emergency plan):

Classroom door locks that are modified.
Video surveillance cameras, centrally located and monitored.
Electronic key cards for controlled access to facilities.
Mass communication outlets (e.g., phones and Internet access) within classrooms.
Frequent emergency drills.
Emergency response protocol with awareness education.
Campus security committee and master plan.

More on campus safety:

6 Talking Points on Campus Safety

Prepping your college-bound student in campus safety

Parenting for College