By Catherine Brown–
After a break-in and sexual assault of a female student at The Retreat was reported on October 11, students have been worried of the consequences to their personal safety around campus.
To ease these concerns, please keep in mind the following tips for staying safe on and around U of L campuses.
Never travel alone when in an unfamiliar area or late at night.
When traveling late at night, you should be aware of your surroundings at all times. This is hard to do when walking alone. As such, consider bringing a travel companion with you — a friend, a classmate, a roommate, sibling, etc.
When you travel with others, you double the opportunity to spot any oddities in your area. Both you and your companion can be on the lookout for any weird noises, sights, or suspicious happenings. Please stay off of your phone.
If both of you are traveling to different places, you might want to walk together until one person gets to their destination. Once you know that they’re inside a building or around people that either of you trust, then you can leave.
And be sure that you communicate with the other person at all times. Text or call the other person to let them know when you arrive.
If you travel late at night, be sure to stay in well-lit areas. Belknap Campus has a walking trail called the “L Trail.” The L Trail is a long sidewalk path accompanied by streetlights to provide safer, well-lit travel between the SAC, the Quad, Ville Grill, and a few residence halls.
Keep doors and windows closed and locked at all times.
After the incident at The Retreat, U of L administration along with ULPD sent out reminders for students to keep all doors and windows locked when not in use. Before leaving for class, ensure that your doors and windows are closed and locked properly. When you go to bed, do the same thing.
By keeping your doors and windows locked, you can protect yourself against potential break-ins.
Always have a police number on hand.
Ensure that you know the numbers of any safety department on and around campus. U of L Chief of Police Gary Lewis that if you “see something, say something.” He urges anyone to use the campus police dispatch number (502) 852-6111 or 911.
If you have to call the dispatch for any reason, provide the dispatcher with your location and state of emergency. Give any details that you can about the emergency or about any possible perpetrators of a crime (if applicable).
If traveling at night without a companion, call the university escort service to be taken to your destination. The service is free and easy to use. Call the Cardinal Cruiser escort service at 852-6111 to request an escort to anywhere within 4 blocks from Belknap Campus or to parking lots around the Health Sciences Center Campus.
You can also download the RAVE Guardian app to easily reach emergency services, report a tip on a crime, or make friends/emergency services aware of your ETA.
The university provides a variety of resources for students and faculty to be safe while on campus. You have a right to feel safe in public and especially at U of L. Don’t hesitate to utilize any resources necessary.
Graphic by Eli Hughes//The Louisville Cardinal
