Safety Tips | Graphic by Abigail Abbott | The Wright State Guardian
With recent events on campus, it has become more difficult for students to feel safe. Here is how students can protect themselves and each other at Wright State University.
How students feel
Emily Sands, a sophomore nursing major, explained that she used to feel incredibly safe on campus. She and her friends used to walk around at night for recreation.
“I would say that I feel less safe this year than the last with stealing [and] the shooting,” Sands said.
Sands lives on campus and considers her apartment as a home.
“Recently, I have been more wary of my surroundings and on edge,” Sands said. “Especially with things happening so close to on-campus housing.”
Ella Coppock, a sophomore intervention specialist major, says that she felt more unsafe last year because she was living on campus. She now commutes and says that she feels safer, except for when she has to walk at night.
“If it is dark outside, I try to walk with a group of friends or classmates when I have the opportunity. If I am walking alone, I always keep my phone in my hand, and I try to locate whichever emergency phone is closest to me in case I need help from WSUPD,” Coppock said. “If I am feeling unsafe in a situation walking alone, I will try to call someone that I can talk to until I get to where I am going.”
Safety basics
When asked what they suggest other students do to stay safe, students gave largely the same answers: carry pepper spray, try not to walk alone at night, be aware of your surroundings and do not be afraid to call for help. If you have the opportunity to take self-defense classes, take it.
Many other self-defense devices can be purchased in addition to pepper spray. Some are alarms, including whistles or other sounding devices, that emit loud noises in an emergency.
Wright State University has many blue safety lights available across campus. If you have to walk alone at night on campus, the WSU police are happy to walk with you to your car or building.
WSUPD offers multiple safety training sessions, including self-defense classes and Run, Hide, Fight courses. For more information about the Campus Safety Series, visit the Public Safety Engage page.
The future
Unfortunately, nothing can guarantee that there will not be future safety incidents. However, the WSU police are getting better at dealing with these issues, and students seem to be openly discussing their thoughts and feelings, helping spread awareness and gain community consciousness about the state of safety at Wright State.
