Safety Tips For College Residential Students

By Matthew R. Shupp M.S., N.C.C. , Coordinator of Student Life, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College &

Kurt J. Ludwig, Residence Halls Director, The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College

My Friday morning started off like any other weekday. I got up at 6:00 AM, showered, shaved, brushed my teeth, and completed all of the normal tasks most people mindlessly go through before they prepare for their commute to work. Got dressed, packed my lunch, put on my coat, grabbed my bag and my keys, locked my front door, and off to work I went. Let’s fast forward to 4:00 PM later that afternoon. I found it strikingly odd that I received a phone call at work from my apartment complex office staff. I picked up the phone, said ‘hello,’ and my worst nightmare came true. The office staff shared with me that my apartment had been broken into.

Now if this type of invasion has ever happened to you, you are well aware of the multitude of emotions that were coming over me at the time. At first, I was in disbelief. “No, not my apartment. Are you sure?” Next, panic. “Well, what did they take? Is anything destroyed?” Third, helplessness. Let’s face it, I was a good distance away from my house and I was pining over the news that was just delivered to me the entire drive home. Fourth, anger. “Do you know who did this? If I ever see them, they’ll be sorry that they broke into MY house!” Fifth, pity. After the police and investigators left the scene, and I was left to clean up what was once the sanctity of my home, I started to question, “Why me?” I struggled a great deal with the notion that a stranger, someone without my permission, came into my home and rummaged through my belongings with no sense of care or compassion for how it might affect the victim. Sixth, anxiousness. “So what happens the next time I leave my house? What happens if someone tries to break in while I am still here?” And finally, resolve.

No matter how many theft victims you speak with, almost all of them will tell you that although it was an unfortunate situation that occurred, it is vital and necessary to move on with your life. You can not live in fear forever. I was always one of those people freely giving of my advice to those where tragedy had struck. Yet, when my own crisis occurred, I surprisingly found myself stuck at a roadblock unable to heed my own words of wisdom.

My terrible experience could have been much worse. There was no property damage and thankfully, no one got hurt. Apparently I did not have enough items of real value that the intruders found appealing. However, my dreadful experience prompted me to put down on paper 10 simple safety tips that I have found helpful to share with residential students living on a college campus. Whether you live in a traditional residence hall, an apartment complex, or any other type of unique housing facility, our “Top Ten” list will come in handy when it comes to protecting you and your personal property.

1. ALWAYS LOCK YOUR DOOR. IF YOU HAVE A DEADBOLT, USE IT.

This may seem like a no-brainer, but think about how often you run to the bathroom for a quick shower, and you find it a pain to bring your keys with you. Or you intend on visiting a neighbor for a few minutes, but end up staying for much longer than you anticipated. Or you casually stop in at a friend’s room down the hall to watch a movie. All of these events may seem trivial. After all, it’s not like you are leaving for an extended period of time, right? I mean, you’re still in the building, what could possibly go wrong?

Too often, students return to their “homes away from home” after the above-mentioned scenarios to find that they have been victims of theft. Be it money, electronics, or videogames, some individuals are simply looking for a quick steal. The minimal amount of time it takes you to lock your door could save you hours of headaches from filling out police reports, documenting your stolen goods, and dealing with insurance adjusters, residential life staff, and employees of the institution.

One of the biggest safety & security concerns I see on college campuses is that students greatly underestimate their own personal risk factors and greatly overestimate how safe they are and how secure their living spaces are. Students will leave their doors unlocked, and sometimes even open, when they are not in the room. When students come to me to report that something has been stolen from their room, the first question I ask is, “Was the door locked?” Four times out of five the answer is “No.” Amazingly, I have students come back after experiencing a second theft from their room or apartment and the answer was still “No.” It takes less time for someone to sneak into your room and sneak out with something than it takes for you to ‘just’ run down to the bathroom or upstairs to see a friend.

2. NEVER LEAVE YOUR PROPERTY UNATTENDED IN COMMON AREAS

Most of us at one time or another has been up late cramming for that dreaded final exam. Your roommate(s) fell asleep, and you don’t want the distraction of the television or a stereo, so you decide to head down to the study lounge, or walk to the library. After hitting the books hard for several hours, you decide that you are entitled to a study break and reward yourself with a walk to the vending machine or the closest 24-hour convenient market. Upon your return, it appears that you have misplaced your books, although, you specifically remember leaving them on a particular table. After debating with yourself for several minutes, you are most certain that you left your books where you remember, and now they are not there.

Books that appear to have no owner make very big targets for thieves, especially near the end of the semester when students are intending to sell books back to their college bookstore. Not only do you not have your book to sell back, but you are without the necessary tools to do well on that difficult final exam. Always take your belongings with you if you plan on leaving an area for an extended period of time, or if the area of where you are studying falls outside of your circle of vision.

3. REGISTER YOUR VALUABLE ITEMS WITH YOUR CAMPUS SAFETY & SECURITY OFFICE

Whether you attend college in the city, the suburbs, or cow-country, besides the shoe-leather express, the bicycle is a standard form of commute for most students. Even if you invested in a bike lock, thieves may still out-smart you. Nothing could be more devastating than walking out of class to find nothing left on the bike rack but a chain that you once thought was secure. Register your belongings, most importantly, your bike, with your campus safety and security. They will be able to register its serial number and have better results locating it if it gets stolen. Many campus or community police departments perform an Operation ID service. They will come to your residence building and etch an identification number onto appliances, electronics, bikes, etc…

4. TAKE INVENTORY OF YOUR VALUABLES

My recent experience made me realize how bad the situation could have been if more of my personal belongings were taken. How would you describe a 23” television to the sketch artist? Spend a good amount of time walking around your home recording the make, model, and serial number of all of your possessions that you find valuable. Record this information and keep it someplace safe. Some of these items may include: televisions, DVD players, stereos, cameras, computers, cellular phones, and camcorders. Buy a roll of film and take a picture of these items. Once the film is developed, keep the pictures and the list of items in a safe location.

5. REMOVE VALUABLES DURING COLLEGE CLOSINGS

I know that it sounds like a pain, but we strongly encourage you to remove expensive items from your residence hall space when the college will be closed for any great length of time.

6. INVEST IN A SAFE OR A SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX

Investing in a fire proof safe or a locked box is highly recommended. However, these items are also a big advertisement for would-be thieves because people keep cash, jewelry, passports, and important documents inside. Often times, these objects have a huge blinking arrow above them and scream, “Take me! Take me! You’re bound to find something good in here!” It might be wiser to invest in a safety deposit box. You can go to any bank and purchase one for a minimal charge.

7. DON’T USE KEYRINGS OR LANYARDS THAT ALSO HOLD YOUR ID CARD.

These items may seem convenient, but they also pose a possible safety risk. In the event that you lose your keys or they are stolen, whoever has them now knows whose room or apartment they can get into. Always keep your keys separate from any student ID cards, driver’s license or any other type of identification.

One of the misconceptions that students have is that their rooms or apartments are safer during the day than at night. Most thefts on college campuses (and homes) occur during the day. Most people are in class, at work, jogging or doing any number of things during the daylight hours. The residence halls are less crowded and an intruder has less of a chance of being seen. Less eyes means easier pickings for a would-be thief.

8. BE CAREFUL WHEN DECIDING WHOM TO TRUST

Another common misconception students have about safety and security issues on their campuses is that the biggest worry they should have when it comes to theft or physical safety involves people from the surrounding community, or the “maniac” or “wacko” that wander on to campus from who knows where. This is simply not true. The group that poses the greatest threat to you on campus is your fellow residents. Almost all of the crime of any type committed on college campuses is perpetrated by students on other students. Students have the greatest access to other students and their living spaces because they don’t look out of place. Students and staff recognize familiar faces and this often creates tempting opportunities to commit crimes.

9. BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS WHEN VENTURING SOMEWHERE NEW FOR THE FIRST TIME.

When moving into a residence hall for the first time, familiarize yourself with the Residential Life Staff. Do you know where they live? Do you know their phone numbers? Have you made a point to introduce yourself? If you venture around campus at night, do you know where the security office is located? Are there any emergency phones on campus? If so, where? Do you always walk in lit areas on campus at night? Asking yourself these questions will have you answer some of the important points we are trying to make in this section: get to know your Residential Life Staff, familiarize yourself with the security office, identify locations of emergency phones, and never walk in poorly-lit areas.

10. DOORS THAT HAVE LOCKS AND LATCHES ARE MEANT TO LOCK AND LATCH.

Ok, this is a big one. Never, ever, ever, EVER prop or leave open the outside doors to a residence hall or apartment building. This compromises the safety and security of everyone who lives there. Anybody could walk in through that unsecured door, and now they have access to every resident’s room or apartment. Also, never hold the door for or let into the building someone who you aren’t absolutely sure lives there. If they live there, they should have keys. Ted Bundy gained access to that residence hall on that Florida campus because someone had propped open the back door to the hall with a soda can…

To conclude, our intention was never to scare you away from residential living. On the contrary, residential living is a very important and vital part of a college student’s life. However, it is important to equip yourself with the necessary knowledge to protect yourself. Hopefully, our “Top Ten” list will come in handy when faced with a new or uncertain situation. We live in a time of increasing uncertainty. However, we are not encouraging you to hide under a blanket of fear. Knowledge is power, and the more information you are able to equip yourself with, the safer you will feel in new and unfamiliar situations.

About the Authors

Matthew R. Shupp is currently the Coordinator of Student Life at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College overseeing the daily operation of the Residential Life and Student Activities programs. He received his M.S. in Counseling with a concentration in College Student Personnel as well as his B.A. in Psychology with a minor in Biology from Shippensburg University. He is certified through the National Board of Certified Counselors (N.B.C.C.) as a Nationally Certified Counselor (N.C.C.). Matthew was also a Resident Assistant for 3 and _ years as well as a Residence Director for 3 years at Shippensburg University. He currently resides in West Chester, PA with his girlfriend.

Kurt J. Ludwig is currently the housing officer at The Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College. He received his B.A. in History from East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania and his M.A. in Student Affairs in Higher Education from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Kurt has worked in Residence Life at higher education institutions in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New York and Vermont, as well as various counseling and education positions.