Safety Tips
Take responsibility for your own security.
- Make sure that residence hall doors are locked during prescribed hours. If not, tell your RA.
- Lock your room door at all times. It only takes seconds for items to disappear.
- If you lose a key, report it immediately.
- Mark your property, specifically items like books and other small high value property. Use your driver's license number or your student ID number, and mark everything.
- Record serial numbers of your stereo equipment, televisions, and appliances.
- Don't bring valuable jewelry, antiques, or heirlooms to campus.
- Valuables in your vehicle should be placed out of sight; under the seat or in the trunk.
- Report crimes and suspicious activity immediately by calling the WCU Police Department at 911.
- Be aware of your surroundings, others who are around you, and any dark areas where someone might be hiding.
- Be alert to potential danger. If it doesn't look right or feel right, trust your instincts.
- Avoid anything that does not feel safe. If you don't feel comfortable, leave the area.
- Anticipate possible problems and know where campus emergency and pay phones are located. Note: Emergency phones on campus can be identified by a blue light on top (see picture).
- Walk with friends whenever possible.
- Avoid jogging or biking alone. And, if you must go alone, stay in well-lit, well-traveled areas.
- Have your keys out and ready before reaching your door or vehicle.
- Don't take shortcuts through dark areas.
- If you think someone is following you, change directions and call the police.
- If you see someone looking into the windows of parked cars or a vehicle driving slowly and aimlessly through the lots, call the police.
- If you own a bicycle, register it through the WCU Police Department.
- If you have an automatic teller card, memorize the personal identification code. Don't keep it with the card.
- Keep accurate records of your checks. Be alert for checks missing from the middle of your book.
- Keep a close eye on your credit cards and protect the numbers. If one is lost or stolen, report it immediately to the company and to the police.
- Don't make purchases from people selling door-to-door in the residence halls. They are violating University policy and many con artists focus on college campuses.
- Academic buildings close at 11:30 PM on weekdays, 5:00 PM on Saturday, and all day Sunday. You are not allowed in those buildings after closing. Students inside those buildings may be in jeopardy.
Some key things to remember:
- Be aware of your surroundings.
- Watch your property.
- Mark your property.
- Thieves generally break into vehicles to steal the things that they can see.
Services Sgt. Tammy Ammons-Hagberg,
Victims Services and Crime Prevention Coordinator
828.227.3059 or thagberg@email.wcu.edu