Students Look to Make Campus More Safe

The Students for Campus Safety club gathered on Tuesday, November 3 to discuss the possibility of bringing new outside light posts to campus and other upcoming events. The Student for Campus Safety Club is relatively new to Concord and they are eager to begin suggesting changes and hearing the opinions of students. After speaking with Katelynn Gatens, an active member within the club, the Concordian was able to get some information about the club’s main concerns at the moment. 

Gatens explained that “We would like to place new lamps on campus in areas that aren’t well lit – specifically the street close to the Bonner House, a few places behind North and South Towers, near the Fine Arts building, and also beside the Carter Center.” 

While this is a great suggestion, some wonder how the project would be funded. One anonymous student complains that, “The pool has already been shut down, so how would the school pay to put up more lights? It doesn’t seem like it could happen without a fight.” 

The club also has ideas to tackle other large projects. Gatens mentioned “maybe pairing with other groups to talk about tobacco use on campus.” The club, along with other groups, would like to bring more awareness to the health hazards of smoking and using chewing tobacco because a lot of students here at Concord smoke.

When asked the question: “What could Concord do to become a safer campus?” Two women that would like to remain anonymous openly discussed the topic on Tuesday, November 3, saying that “more cameras would be nice or more of those panic buttons to press in case of an emergency. I walk around campus at night all the time and I’m terrified – especially if someone is following me too closely. I usually keep my phone in one hand and keys in the other because I’ve always heard that keys are a good weapon, but I still don’t feel one-hundred percent safe. I feel like adding more panic buttons, like behind North Tower or in some of the commuter parking-lots would make me feel better.” Both women agreed that more panic buttons would be a great idea and that adding additional cameras would make them feel safer both indoors and out.

Because the semester is slowly coming to an end and finals week is upon us, Gatens mentions stress and how the club would like to help students stay calm during the storm: “During the month of December, we would like to do a stress relieving activity and have little things to help decrease stress during the last week of classes before finals week. We haven’t decided on an idea yet, but we hope to decide sometime soon,” she explained. 

Alicia Arnett, Junior, says to “Bring animals to campus! I’ve seen other college campuses bring puppies, kittens and bunnies to campuses to let the students pet the animals during stressful weeks. Studies show that petting animals can really help reduce stress. I think a lot of students would take advantage of this activity. I know I would.” 

In the meantime, Dr. Phil, an American television star, psychologist and author, provides a list of ways to stay safe on college campuses on his official website. The top five ways to stay safe according to Dr. Phil are: “Never walk alone, limit alcohol intake, refrain from using an iPod or ATM [by yourself], frequently change your route and routine and give someone your schedule.” Always keep a friend close by; as they say, there is safety in numbers. Do not drink enough alcohol to blackout; stay alert and keep all drinks within sight. When using an iPod, only use one earbud. Always keep one ear open. Switch up routines so that nobody will memorize your paths and always let someone know where you are and when you will be back. Give specific times and locations. “

The Students for Campus Safety may just be starting up, but they’ve got lots of ambitious ideas and appear to have the tenacity to see them through.