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In just one week there have been four cases of school students held up and robbed at or near the university campus in Atlanta, GA. The very next week near other Atlanta campus, four students were robbed at gun point. The robbers stole their wallets, jewelry, cell phones and ATM cards, then locked in the trunk and walked to a nearby ATM. I’m sure the intention was to force young men to give them pin numbers. However, one of the victims had secretly kept his cell phone on him and was able to call 911. The robbers were arrested in ATM machine and victims escaped unscathed.
In March, a female student at the university campus in western Georgia was sexually assaulted as she walked from the classroom to the food hall. She went on a well-lit, well-traveled route in the evening.
these isolated incidents? Is there seems to be a rash of crimes on Georgia college campuses? No! I just happen to live in Georgia and hearing news reports of our colleges. It happens at all colleges in all states. My friends daughter reported three separate robberies that occurred in campus housing its parking lot. Her first year, three rapes were reported on campus; one of the “safest” colleges in Florida. But when sons and daughters are looking at colleges to attend, you never heard of these reports. They want your business; crimes on campus do not help business. Fact that most are handled by the campus security and not reported to the public except in a few well-hidden numbers
In the United States educational, FBI and US Secret Service research report, “Campus Attacks. – Targeted Violence affecting higher education “incidents of violence College campus has significantly increased over the past twenty years. The report shows that one-in-five women who attend college will be a victim of sexual assault on four of his years on campus.
Many campuses take more safety precautions such as providing transportation for students late at night and offer self-defense courses on campus. There are steps students can take to protect themselves, including the following:
1. Never accept rides from someone you do not know or trust.
2. Know where emergency on campus are located.
3. Walk in well-lit paths and avoid short cuts, especially at night.
4. Travelling with friends or a group particularly at night and certainly when walking at night.
5. At social events, drink only from sealed containers, avoid punch bowls. If you leave your drink unattended for any period, do not drink it. Throw it away and get a new drink. Never take open drink from someone you do not know or trust.
6. Avoid using the ATM at night or when alone.
7. Attend self-defense courses.
8. Carry some form of non-lethal, self-defense product when you are alone or at night, and have it easily accessible. Products such as pepper sprays and stun guns are cheap and can save your life.
9. Always carry a mobile phone. But remember, your cell phone will not help you stop the criminal. By the time someone you awake is, it may be too late. Use your cell phone to call for help after you have pepper spray or stunning perpetrator and run far away from them. A pepper spray containing the dye can help the police to identify the criminal. Having campus police programmed into your phone. Consider the new iPhone application “Silent Bodyguard”. It lets up to four different people that you are in a dangerous situation and have sent and try to send exact GPS location on every 60 seconds when activated.
10. Call the campus police when you see something or someone appears suspicious.
11. Keep your dorm or apartment locked and do not share the keys with any open the door for someone you do not know. Use the peep hole to see who is at the door before you open it.
12. Use some kind of door alarms on your doors at night or when alone. Warnings such as warning hanging on the door knob and is activated by motion or door stop wedge with alarm cost under $ 20.00 and will alert you if someone tries to open the door.
13. When walking or running, if you wear headphones to listen to music, keep one ear free so you can hear what’s happening around you. Carry pepper spray or “Hotwalkers” (weights with pepper spray built at the end).
14. Do not allow attackers to take you away in a car or otherwise transfer you. If he does you have no way to call for help and you have less than 50% chance of survival. Kick, scream and whistle, pepper spray, stun gun or whatever you need to protect yourself.
15. If you receive inappropriate threatening calls, text messages or e-mail, report it to the campus police.
16. Be aware of your surroundings at all times in all places. Always have “escape route” especially in places such as parties, bars and concert areas.
17. Make sure someone knows where you are. If you do not plan to be gone all night or on the weekend, be sure to have someone check on you and you do the same for them.
18. Do not abuse alcohol or drugs. Most people know that alcohol or drugs may contribute to the likelihood of becoming a victim of prejudicial judgment and make you aware of my surroundings. Each year, over 1,700 college students die because of some kind of alcohol related incidents, many more are injured or become victims of date rape.
While college is a time for young people to become independent and self-reliant, it is still the parents’ responsibility to prepare your child for this new and potentially threatening environment. Talk to them about the risks, give them information on how to protect themselves, and most importantly give them the tools (non-lethal self defense products) that can truly protect them if they become a victim.
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