Currently in the Red Zone

It’s fall semester, a wonderful season filled with many exciting times:  new classes and professors; new classmates and friends; football games and other sports; intramurals; Greek Rush; Homecoming; and more! We hope that Fall 2015 is among your best times at Concord.

Please know that Concord University urges all students to take a proactive approach to safety. One way to do so is to be aware of the high risk time on college campuses known as the Red Zone, to know resources ahead of time, and to employ bystander intervention. Bystander intervention entails looking out for each other and intervening in a potentially dangerous situation BEFORE it becomes an issue. 

As students return to campus, not just at Concord, but nationwide, they enter what experts term the ‘Red Zone,’ the first six weeks of college when more sexual assaults occur than at any other time during the school year. During this time, women, especially freshmen, are considered particularly vunerable. According to a 2008 survey by a research group of Middlebury College, first-year students reported unwanted sexual experiences more frequently during the fall semester than older students. This statistic is due to several reasons, including: students are meeting new people and trying to fit in; students have less parental supervision and more independence which may lead to experimentation with alcohol or drugs; and students are adjusting to a new environment. To minimize your risk, use the following safety procedures:

• Use the buddy system. Don’t go off campus or back to campus with people you do not know or trust.
• Stay in a group; there is safety in numbers.
• Be aware of your surroundings and have an “exit strategy” (e.g. back up ride, taxi #, etc.).
• Be mindful of your alcohol intake.
• Do not leave a drink unattended and do not accept a drink from someone that you do not trust or have not poured/mixed yourself. 

Here at Concord, if you would like someone to walk you across campus or to your vehicle for safety reasons, contact the Office of Public Safety at 304-384-5357 or a CU Residence Hall (North Tower: 304-384-5132, South Tower:  304-384-5133, Wilson/Sarvay: 304-384-5136, Wooddell: 304-384-5135).

If you have been a victim of sexual assault, on or off campus, please contact the CU Police Department at 304-384-5357, Princeton Community Hospital at 304-487-7000, the Women’s Resource Center at 304-255-2559 (24-hour Hotline), or a CU Sexual Assault Response Team (S.A.R.T.) member. Names of S.A.R.T. members, medical services, reporting agencies, and support services can be found at http://www.concord.edu/student-affairs/safety-and-law/sart. In an emergency situation, call 911.

Remember, be smart and be safe! Let’s make the first weeks of fall semester the beginning of a great academic year!