College Media Network

Indiana Statesman

Indiana State University, Terre Haute, Ind.

| For ISU students, about ISU students, by ISU students

Crime and Punishment

Protecting yourself, others while on campus

Aliya Khan

Issue date: 6/5/08 Section: Campus

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These emergency beacons are strewn throughout campus for anyone in trouble.

The ISU police cars are a familiar sight on campus, letting students, faculty staff and visitors know the police are always near.

While public safety patrols the campus, students old and new can take an active role in protecting not just themselves, but the people around them.

"ISU police officers play a big role in campus safety," said Crime Prevention Officer Meredith Ditz. "However, we cannot be everywhere at once. We appreciate the campus community being involved in crime prevention. Students, staff and faculty should also feel a responsibility to report suspicious activity to protect themselves and others."

William Mercier, director of public safety, recommends that students not walk alone in the evening and always let someone know where they are going and when they expect to be back.

Though students may be tempted with new parties or alcohol availability, Mercier said students should refrain from drinking alcohol to the point that their judgement is impaired, and he advised them to never accept a drink from someone they don't know or leave a drink unattended at a party.

In 2006, there were three on-campus and four off-campus reported sexual assaults, according to a presentation Ditz gave in the spring of 2008.

Mercier said everybody should trust their first instincts, including getting out of any situation as soon as it does not feel right.
"Report anyone or anything that seems suspicious to you to Public Safety," Mercier said. "You can do this anonymously."

However, the ISU campus protects students by providing them with a variety of resources, including video cameras to monitor all parking lots and most public walkways.

"We provide walking escorts on campus," Mercier said. "We have a number of ways to no tify the campus in the event of emergencies, including text messaging, pop up messages for people who are logged on to Novell and sending messages via the My ISU portal and recorded messages on the 7777 emergency telephone line."

Public Safety has dealt with a variety of issues in the past semester, ranging from a variety of assaults to the fire in Blumberg Hall that occurred Jan. 28. Students on floors eight, nine, ten, 11 and 12 were temporarily placed within the university housing system.

"Follow the Residence Life regulations prohibiting candles and other open flames in the residence halls and report anyone who violates these rules," Mercier said.

Mercier also advised students concerned about a fire to always evacuate the building when a fire alarm is sounded. Never assume it's a false alarm, know where the fire exits are in the building and never try to extinguish a fire themselves.

"If a fire occurs in your building, activate the fire alarm and leave the building," Mercier said.

However, students should not only remain concerned for their safety, but also the safety of the items they own, Ditz said.

"The biggest crime threat on campus is theft of unattended items," Ditz said. "This includes theft from a dorm room left unlocked, theft of visible items left inside parked vehicles and leaving bookbags unattended in the Commons, library, etc."

Mercier recommends students to always lock their rooms and vehicles and to never let someone they don't know in their residence hall after hours. Never leave personal property unattended, even for a few minutes, including electronic devices and textbooks, he said.

"We are on patrol 24/7, including holidays and student breaks," Ditz said. "We are able to enforce University regulations as well as Indiana Law throughout Vigo County. We are proactive in preventing some crime on campus and in the community."

Public Safety is a full-service police department with a minimum of three uniformed officers on patrol every hour of the day.

For students who find themselves threatened or uncomfortable, there are campus blue light phones located across campus, including in parking lots, that, when activated automatically, dial a 911 call to Public Safety's dispatch center.

"Although ISU is a relatively safe campus, students should exercise the same cautions for personal and property safety that they would in their home cities," Ditz said.

For more information, visit the Public Safety Web site or call 237-5555.

(Aliya Khan can be reached at sascamed@isugw.indstate.edu)

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