Safety
Ah, college. A campus full of like-minded scholars who are driven to change the world. In between all these scholars are people with…different…intentions. Colleges attract a wide-range of criminal activity due to the naivety of students who are living away from home for the first time. Here’s a list of college crimes, and what you could do to not become a victim.
Articles below:
Theft
Assault
Intoxication
Theft
By far the most frequent crime on any college campus. In 2014, 77% of crimes reported to the University of Texas Police Department were thefts (457 total thefts). Of those thefts, 50% were for thefts of items or property valued over $200. In total, over $180,000 worth of stuff was stolen from UT students and staff in 2014. Of that, only about $50,000 was actually recovered. For those of you who don’t like math, that’s over $130,000 worth of stuff that victims never got back. The craziest thing about theft? It is the fastest. It only takes a second for something to get stolen. Also, these were NOT armed robberies. It’s not like a masked robber with a gun ran up to all these people. No, these are crimes of opportunity. Anytime your belongings are out of YOUR sight is an opportunity for someone else to snatch them. Keep your belongings (a) always in your sight and (b) out of their sight.
Where does theft occur?
Everywhere. The most frequent places are libraries, gyms, locker rooms, offices, classrooms, vehicles, hallways, and dorm rooms. It can literally happen everywhere.
How do I prevent it?
Don't trust anyone.
Scenario 1:
You’re at the library studying hard. You have all your books and notes spread out around your laptop. You’ve been going at it for a few hours already. Suddenly, that double espresso finally hits you and you have to go to the restroom really really badly. All of your stuff is spread out, and it would be a pain to pack it up, go take care of business, and then come back and unpack it all out again.
Option A: You look around, and either there’s no one there or everyone is working hard on their studies. If I leave this here, no one will even notice it. So you leave it all there, run for your life, and come back within a few minutes. It’s gone.
Option B: Hmmm, that student sitting on the other side of this table looks nice enough. “Hey, can you watch this for me?” “Sure!” You run like the wind, and come back within a few minutes. It’s gone.
Option C: You pack everything up and take it with you. Nothing gets stolen.
Summary: Don’t be lazy. Your stuff’s not worth it. Look at all the people around you. Would you trust them with your life? Why trust them with your laptop, because that is your life now.
Scenario 2:
You’re wrapping up study group with a few other students. One of the students says “Hey, let’s go to the gym and play some basketball.” “Sure!” Oh boy, I have friends now, you think excitingly to yourself. Everyone eagerly goes to the gym. Oh wait, I still have all my stuff in my backpack, including my laptop. I also have my wallet/purse. Hmmm, there’s lockers available. But they cost 25 cents and I don’t have any quarters. I’ll just leave it on the side of the court over here, and just leave my wallet/purse inside the backpack. I’ll leave my cell phone inside, too. No one will take it. You go and play, making sure to look at it every once in a while to make sure it’s there. Oh no. It’s gone.
Scenario 3:
You’re sitting in your dorm room. You need to make a phone call, but you have really bad signal in your room. You know there’s a spot down the hallway that has perfect signal. You walk out the door, but think about it for a second. Should I lock my door? Nah, too much hassle. I’m just down the hallway! You go, have your phone call, come back. Boom, laptop’s gone.
Scenario 4:
After a lot of shopping, you drive back home. It’s been a long day, and you still have to carry all this new stuff out of your car, out of the garage, and up to your dorm/apartment. It may take multiple trips, but it’s so late! I’ll just go ahead and leave this here and come back in the morning. Everything’s safe in the trunk. You come back the next morning. Your car was broken into, useless junk is thrown all over the place, and your valuables are gone.
True story.
Where does theft occur?
Everywhere. The most frequent places are libraries, gyms, locker rooms, offices, classrooms, vehicles, hallways, and dorm rooms. It can literally happen everywhere.
How do I prevent it?
Don't trust anyone.
Scenario 1:
You’re at the library studying hard. You have all your books and notes spread out around your laptop. You’ve been going at it for a few hours already. Suddenly, that double espresso finally hits you and you have to go to the restroom really really badly. All of your stuff is spread out, and it would be a pain to pack it up, go take care of business, and then come back and unpack it all out again.
Option A: You look around, and either there’s no one there or everyone is working hard on their studies. If I leave this here, no one will even notice it. So you leave it all there, run for your life, and come back within a few minutes. It’s gone.
Option B: Hmmm, that student sitting on the other side of this table looks nice enough. “Hey, can you watch this for me?” “Sure!” You run like the wind, and come back within a few minutes. It’s gone.
Option C: You pack everything up and take it with you. Nothing gets stolen.
Summary: Don’t be lazy. Your stuff’s not worth it. Look at all the people around you. Would you trust them with your life? Why trust them with your laptop, because that is your life now.
Scenario 2:
You’re wrapping up study group with a few other students. One of the students says “Hey, let’s go to the gym and play some basketball.” “Sure!” Oh boy, I have friends now, you think excitingly to yourself. Everyone eagerly goes to the gym. Oh wait, I still have all my stuff in my backpack, including my laptop. I also have my wallet/purse. Hmmm, there’s lockers available. But they cost 25 cents and I don’t have any quarters. I’ll just leave it on the side of the court over here, and just leave my wallet/purse inside the backpack. I’ll leave my cell phone inside, too. No one will take it. You go and play, making sure to look at it every once in a while to make sure it’s there. Oh no. It’s gone.
Scenario 3:
You’re sitting in your dorm room. You need to make a phone call, but you have really bad signal in your room. You know there’s a spot down the hallway that has perfect signal. You walk out the door, but think about it for a second. Should I lock my door? Nah, too much hassle. I’m just down the hallway! You go, have your phone call, come back. Boom, laptop’s gone.
Scenario 4:
After a lot of shopping, you drive back home. It’s been a long day, and you still have to carry all this new stuff out of your car, out of the garage, and up to your dorm/apartment. It may take multiple trips, but it’s so late! I’ll just go ahead and leave this here and come back in the morning. Everything’s safe in the trunk. You come back the next morning. Your car was broken into, useless junk is thrown all over the place, and your valuables are gone.
True story.
Assault
In 2014, there were 81 assaults reported on the UT campus. Of those, NONE were by a firearm and only one was with a knife. In addition, there were a total of 6 sexual assaults. Here are some quick tips to help protect you.
Never walk home alone at night. UT has a great program called the SURE Walk. If you must walk home alone at night, you can call 512-232-WALK (9255) and a group of volunteers will meet you wherever you are and escort you to your destination. Other universities also have similar programs. If you absolutely must walk home alone at night, walk confidently, directly, and at a steady pace. Attackers look for people who appear vulnerable. Also, stay in well-lit areas. In addition, do not use your phone the entire time walking home. It’s a distraction, which makes you vulnerable.
From the University of Texas Police Department website:
“No one who experiences a sexually-charged assault is ever to blame for the actions of their attacker, but alcohol use makes everyone more vulnerable to becoming a victim. Alcohol impairs your judgment, reflexes, and response time, so you should drink in moderation and always have a trusted group of friends around when you drink. Always have a sober friend with you — regardless of whether or not you require a designated driver — so this friend can use their sober judgment to help keep you safe.”
75 – 90% of ALL violence on campus is alcohol-related. Choose who you go out with wisely. Would you trust these people with your life?
For more great tips on safety, check out the UTPD website.
Speaking of alcohol...
Never walk home alone at night. UT has a great program called the SURE Walk. If you must walk home alone at night, you can call 512-232-WALK (9255) and a group of volunteers will meet you wherever you are and escort you to your destination. Other universities also have similar programs. If you absolutely must walk home alone at night, walk confidently, directly, and at a steady pace. Attackers look for people who appear vulnerable. Also, stay in well-lit areas. In addition, do not use your phone the entire time walking home. It’s a distraction, which makes you vulnerable.
From the University of Texas Police Department website:
“No one who experiences a sexually-charged assault is ever to blame for the actions of their attacker, but alcohol use makes everyone more vulnerable to becoming a victim. Alcohol impairs your judgment, reflexes, and response time, so you should drink in moderation and always have a trusted group of friends around when you drink. Always have a sober friend with you — regardless of whether or not you require a designated driver — so this friend can use their sober judgment to help keep you safe.”
75 – 90% of ALL violence on campus is alcohol-related. Choose who you go out with wisely. Would you trust these people with your life?
For more great tips on safety, check out the UTPD website.
Speaking of alcohol...
Intoxication
In 2014, there were 38 DWI’s (driving while intoxicated) and 139 arrests for public intoxication just on the UT campus. There are so many freshmen that get arrested just in the first few months of college. Don’t be stupid.
If you want to read a summary of all of the crime that happens during the first weekend of the 2012 school year at UT, check out this link. It’s actually really interesting. Notice that most of the crimes were consumption of alcohol by a minor and most ended in either a citation, arrest, or a trip to the hospital.
https://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/archives/report.php?date=Sep+04+2012
If you want to read a summary of all of the crime that happens during the first weekend of the 2012 school year at UT, check out this link. It’s actually really interesting. Notice that most of the crimes were consumption of alcohol by a minor and most ended in either a citation, arrest, or a trip to the hospital.
https://www.utexas.edu/police/campuswatch/archives/report.php?date=Sep+04+2012