Campus Safety Strategies for College Students
Proactive, Prepared, and Protected
It's the season when students are preparing to move to campus, and both parents and students are feeling a mix of excitement and stress. The move can either be within the town or a cross-country relocation spanning thousands of miles. After buying all the necessary school and dorm supplies, there is a short period of tranquility before the next stage of adjusting to campus life begins. This is a significant life-changing event.
As you wait for the momentous change, it's a great time to talk to your student about essential topics such as values, boundaries, and safety. No matter where they go, preparing them with the critical skills to excel in college while prioritizing their safety and security with preventative actions is important. To avoid risks, it's necessary to have knowledge of them. The Red Zone is a risk that can be mitigated through education and awareness to minimize potential harm. When discussing hazards, it's important to approach the conversation in a creative and empowering way rather than a scary one. Incorporating values and boundaries into decision-making can be aided by sharing facts, strategies, tools, and techniques. Unfortunately, preventable deaths and injuries happen daily, resulting in immense human suffering and costing billions of dollars annually, as reported by the National Safety Council Injury Facts.
Each semester, many students go to the emergency room for reasons such as falls, alcohol poisoning, and mental health issues. To avoid your child ending up in the emergency room, it's important to raise awareness, establish preventative measures, and have candid discussions about risks and safety. For many students, going to college means living independently for the first time. This new environment comes with new friends, community, and health risks, which include the Red Zone (Read on to learn what it is, how it occurs, and what you can do about it.)
I recommend that every student and parent visit Rachael’s First Week, a program dedicated to protecting the lives of teens as they transition into young adults. They share critical stories, resources to help improve decision-making skills, and much more.
The most important consideration is how students are prepared to identify and calculate their responses to new situations. As an example, there are dorm rooms safety hazards. One hazard to share with your student is the dangers of bunk beds or areas that are elevated off the floor. Students sometimes elevate their beds to create unique work and living spaces under the bed. However, some students have rolled off these elevated sleeping areas and suffered catastrophic injuries. A quick and simple way to add a preventive measure is to install a bed rail. Rails can be found online at college dorm accessory stores and other locations. Inside Edition has a quick 2-minute video explaining that more than 36,000 people are treated for bunk bed-related injuries yearly. One such injury happened on the show The Bachelor, where the contestant suffered multiple facial injuries after falling from a bunk bed. Also in this quick video is the story of a student named Clark who sustained a catastrophic injury in his dorm at college.
More information about Clark and his family’s advocacy for safety can be found at the following link. https://railagainstthedanger.org/.
The goal of a parent is to equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to succeed in college and life. Bringing awareness is where we can make the most significant difference, which is why we share the 3Ps – Proactive, Prepared, and Protected.
Global Secure Resources prioritizes school safety by sharing data and relatable stories with students. In Statista’s College Student Health - Statistics & Facts, you may find areas where your student may benefit from extra discussion time and data. Effective communication is crucial. Students who feel comfortable discussing their life stresses and anxiety with their parents have a vital tool for maintaining good mental health. Here is a quick checklist to get your conversation started today.
Red Zone the first four months at college; with lots of new life choices, it's important to understand the associated risks. The Red Zone is the first four months of college, August, September, October, and November - when more than half of sexual assaults on college campuses occur, and first-year students are especially vulnerable. Reference - Matthew Kimble PhD, Andrada D. Neacsiu BA, William F. Flack PhD & Jessica Horner BA (2008) Risk of Unwanted Sex for College Women: Evidence for a Red Zone, Journal of American College Health, 57:3, 331-338, DOI: 10.3200/JACH.57.3.331-338. Retrieved from: https://www.rainn.org/statistics/campus-sexual-violence
3A’s – Avoid vulnerable situations. Alcohol, Alone, At Night. - Drinking can increase a person’s risk of injury, ranging from minor cuts to broken bones, concussions, or worse. The higher someone’s blood alcohol content (BAC) level, the greater the chance of getting injured. Develop a risk mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery plan. Do you know who to call in an emergency? Please visit Don’t Stall Just Call for tips and resources. https://www.dontstalljustcall.org/Strategize Students can also check out Nightcap to learn more about drink spiking and how to prevent it. https://nightcapit.com/
Dorm room safety – bunk bed, doorstop, door and window locks, and fall prevention/balcony safety.
In minutes, parents can address risk factors, like the hidden dangers around the campus during the Red Zone, the alcohol 3A’s, and mental health, by following the Global Secure Resources checklist. In addition, students that feel overwhelmed and have anxiety should have on-the-spot stress-reducing strategies and resources ready so they don’t have to suffer in silence. Global Secure Resources experts always say, “It is better to have a plan in place and not use it than to need a plan and not have one.”
Start the safety conversation today. Set up a safety briefing for your student. We can help facilitate the conversation to strategize personal safety. And grab your copy of Study Abroad Safety, A Parent’s Guide to Sending Your Child Abroad. It’s not just for study abroad. It covers gender violence, situational awareness, values and boundaries and so much more.
