Boston has always been known for its colleges. From the hallowed halls of Harvard to the great minds at MIT; people come from all over the world to study here. Unfortunately as of late colleges in Boston have been in the news for a different reason…crime. Boston University has had its second sex abuse scandal and recently a Boston College student has disappeared from a local bar. It got me to thinking…how safe is this college city?
I recently found a website, stateuniversity.com, where you can put in your zip code and find all the pertinent safety information for the college of your choice. After researching the website I came to realize that no matter the college, no matter the city, every place has its risks. In my opinion it’s not about the city or town; it’s about the people. There is an old saying “you let the good in with the bad”. Unfortunately amongst all those great minds there is bound to be a bad apple.
I have to admit that when I turn on the news and hear about these horrible events in our fair city it does scare me a bit. It makes my heart ache for the parents of these victims. I am sure never in a million years did they think that by their children heading off for higher education they would be in danger. I think all we can do is remind our college aged children and friends to practice safety and hope that these statistics go down on our college campuses:
Be Safe When Walking Alone On Campus:
- Arm yourself with mace or pepper spray if you walk alone to class.
- Know your surroundings at all times. Be aware!
- Attach a personal alarm to your key chain that can be sounded if someone is following you.
- Try to stay in a group.
- If jogging at night, be sure to wear a reflective safety vest so that motorists can see you.
Adhere To A Buddy System While Away At College:
- Let at least one person know where you are going and who you are going with.
- It can only help if friends keep a watchful eye out for each other.
- If you are in an emergency situation and don’t come home, at least someone will “miss” you and be able to alert the authorities.
One Final College Safety Tip:
Put the word ICE (In Case of Emergency) into your phone with a parent or guardian name programmed with this code. The authorities know to look for this code in case an emergency occurs and they need to get in touch with a relative.
*tips provided by select safety
