Gut Checks: Keeping you safe on campus

I would like to start by introducing a new component to the Sabre Safety blog- college campus safety. In response to the slow public realization that colleges are not the safe havens many people believe them to be, Sabre is launching a new College Safety Program. The course targets female college freshmen who are, for the first time, having to take full responsibility for their personal safety. In order to provide continuous support for these newbies on campus, as well as the campus veterans, this thread will discuss topics regarding situations specific to college life and safety. I’d like to believe this blog is distinct from other college safety blogs because, as a young female not far removed from college, I will bring a youthful and insightful perspective on college safety. I promise not to spit out all of the same old adages most safety blogs have repeated. If something strikes you as interesting or controversial or entertaining, please feel free to comment or share with your friends, sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, facebook buddies, and twitter followers. Now, on with the blog…

The first day of college jitters. Meeting your new roomie. Finding your way to the dining commons. Getting your student ID. Saying goodbye to the parents. Making new friends. Setting up for your first night in a strange room in a strange place. No one can escape these nerves and uncertainties, but these emotions arise instinctually to keep you safe. They make you alert and aware of your surroundings. They may even keep you up at night for a little while. Eventually though, they fade into the background because people become friends, places become familiar, and your campus becomes home. And usually home is a place to feel safe and secure.

However, as a student in college, it is important to keep a finger on the pulse of that same instinct that inhibited you on the first night at school from doing imprudent things like exploring campus in the dark alone. You will find that this nervous instinct will flare up sometimes. Call it your conscience or your mom’s voice in your head or a sixth sense, in any case, don’t ignore it because it represents your biological alarm system. It’s the smoke detectors of your mind alerting you to potential danger. The unknown is obviously scary, but the too well-known can sometimes be the most dangerous. So, make a habit of tapping into that “funny feeling.” Even better, voice your concern out loud to yourself or a friend, it makes it more real that way and might save you from getting into a potentially risky situation.