Campus Safety Month: Stay safe while enjoying time on campus
This is the Our View, prepared by the Editorial Board and should be considered the institutional voice of The Record.
Safety on college campuses is something every student hears about. Women students are told to carry pepper spray, walk in pairs and watch their drinks at parties. Even though our campus is in a small rural town, CSB+SJU is no stranger to campus safety issues.
Just this week, Campus Security and Life Safety sent out a message notifying students about Brian Walsh, a man outside of our community who was making unwanted and persistent communication with students. Twenty years ago, Joshua Guimond, the subject of a recent crime podcast talked about by students and faculty alike, disappeared from the SJU campus after a party in Metten Court on his way back to his dorm in St. Maur House—a path many of us make every day. After searching all three campus lakes, an extensive land search and 20 years of investigation, the case remains open and unsolved.
Although it seems as though the case of Brian Walsh has been taken care of by a trespass notice and there have been no student disappearances since Joshua Guimond, campus safety risks are commonplace across the country. Nationally, 13% of all American students experience rape or sexual assault during their college experience and 28% of all students binge drink during college, according to RAINN and the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
Established in 2008 by a unanimous vote in Congress, September is deemed Campus Safety Month. On campus, CERTS (Consent, Equality, Respect, Talking and Safety) is the main student organization advocating for campus safety. They focus on “campaigns, events, bystander intervention training, collaborating with other on campus organizations, etc. regarding healthy relationships and consent culture.”
On Sept. 20, the organization’s Instagram posted a list of ways students on campus can do to stay safe.
1. Surround yourself with people that have your back. Look out for everyone. Treat everyone as a friend. You’d want the same.
2. Keep your phone on you and always charged.
3. Sign up for alerts (www.csbsju.edu/bennie-johnnie-alert)
4. Ask for help when you need it—save SJU Life Safety (320-363-2144) and CSB Security (320-363-5000) numbers.
5. Lock your doors and don’t leave exit doors propped open.
6. See something? Say something. Report suspicious activity to law enforcement.
7. Be aware of your surroundings (that means being capable of being aware and avoiding excess intoxication).
8. Use the buddy system, especially at night.
A college campus should be a safe haven for students. Feeling safe on campus allows students to concentrate on their studies and enjoy campus life without fearing for their well-being. While the college needs to take steps in protecting their students on campus, individual students also bear some responsibility in ensuring safety not only for themselves but for their peers as well. If you see something, say something.