| Campus safety awareness heightened on campus
By
Mario LaBeach
With the temperature starting to get warmer, and only a few weeks remaining in the semester, there are going to be more students walking around at night on campus. Some of theses students will be leaving the library as late as 2' o clock in the morning.
For these students there are several programs and services provided by the University Police Department here at Buffalo State College for instance, there is a bike patrol that enables university police officers to easily patrol walkways, quads, and other student gathering areas. Patrol cars are also constantly doing rounds in every parking lot.
I see UPD riding around on their bikes all the time and I feel very safe knowing that they are always around, sophomore Michael Sady said.
Also the University Police receive help from the University Police Student Assistants (UPSA), who provide escort services to students on campus through:
UPSA provides security at social events. They also make rounds in the residence halls and carry radios to stay in constant contact with University Police.
I think the idea of UPSA helping out the UPD is good, because they are also students and they have a better awareness of what the other students are doing wrong, senior Jerry Louis said.
The Safe Escort program provides a walking escort or a safe ride, available 24 hours a day, for students who do not feel comfortable walking alone from one location on campus to another. To contact a safe escort, students can call extension 6333 from a campus or blue-light phone . Students think that the safe escort program is a good idea.
I like the idea of the Safe Escort program, senior Nicole Rowland said. I always call them when I leave the library late at night.
According to the University Police Website, the blue light telephone enables students to reach the University Police from 36 different locations on campus. The phones can be spotted easily; they have a red emergency button and a dialing pad . They are located in parking lots, sidewalks and outside classroom buildings and residence halls. The location of a caller is easily and immediately located by the University Police .
The University Police Department also provides educational programs to students for their personal safety . Some of the programs include:
- self defense
- rape prevention
- crime prevention
- fire safety
- bias crime
- responding to school violence
Awareness of all the services available allows students to feel safer and more comfortable on campus. It also allows them to concentrate more on their school work, instead of worrying about getting home safely.
When I'm in the library late at night, I don't have to worry about how I'm going to get home because I feel very comfortable, knowing that UPD is always patrolling, junior Shameka Newkirk said.
www.ed.gov
www.buffalostate.edu/offices/police
Email: MrDainty1225@aol.com |
