How to stay safe in a college town?

[virtua]

My question is adressed as to international students as to domestic students. I have been researching safety records of the university I`m going to attend and have got concerned about the overall situation in the US.

For example, I know that in the US gun laws are soft, so people can easily carry guns-this is absolutely different in my home country, I mean I could barely imagine someone walking in the street and carrying a gun, unless he is criminal or a policeman. So I will have to get used to it.

 

So, I would like to know the way an international student should live and behave in a small college town (my university is located in such one) in order to stay safe. Which places should I avoid? What kind of people should I avoid? What to do if I get in a trouble?

Any tips and recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

 

P.S. I would want to mention the name of the city I`m going, but I`m not sure if that is okay. I mean, if I don`t breach any forum rule or any other rule by doing this, I`m ready to mention it, as long as it is helpful for forum members to help me.

[Vene]

These tips really do vary based on the location. Some college towns are actually very safe and others are less so. Your best resource will be current graduate students who can give you advice on how to stay safe.

I can say that I rarely see people openly walking around with firearms. Not that I haven't seen somebody in the store with a pistol on their belt, but it's unusual. I do completely understand it being unnerving, it's strange to see somebody walking around with a deadly weapon.

[avflinsch]

 

For example, I know that in the US gun laws are soft, so people can easily carry guns-this is absolutely different in my home country, I mean I could barely imagine someone walking in the street and carrying a gun, unless he is criminal or a policeman. So I will have to get used to it.

 

I really don't want this thread to turn into a gun debate --

 

There are 50 states, and probably 50+ different sets of rules about carrying firearms. Laws vary state to state and even within counties/cities. The only places I have seen folks openly carrying firearms have been in Montana (where you are more likely to be attacked by a bear, than a random person) and Arizona. My personal opinion, the folks that are legally and openly carrying, are not the ones that you need to worry about, it is the folks that are intent on doing harm that are the ones to worry about (criminals don't obey laws, sort of the definition of criminal).

 

My school has some good tips published by the university PD, pretty basic, but should work about anywhere

http://rupd.rutgers.edu/crimetips.php and http://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/safety-security/

 

See if your school has a email alert list about area crimes, this way you can see what is going on, and you will learn to know what areas to avoid.

 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2015 by avflinsch

[WriteAndKnit]

I'm an American Air Force veteran, and it STILL gives me pause to see non-uniformed individuals with firearms -- because on base, only security forces/military police carried a firearm on a daily basis. Personally owned firearms had to be checked in at a secure location if one lived on base. My university doesn't allow firearms on campus -- unless they are in a locked safe AND in a locked vehicle. I find that reassuring.

 

Basics: be aware. Figure out the most direct, well-lit, populated route to and from parking, bus, and where you're working/in class. Don't take shortcuts through dark, poorly lit, or uneven areas -- especially if you're not familiar with them. Figure out how to convey the balance of "I'm not afraid and can take care of myself" with "I'm not a threat" -- that's the biggest challenge, really. Know which buildings are open and when; if you're feeling uncomfortable, it's better to go into the gym or library than to keep walking and feeling scared. If you take an early/late bus or park far from where you work/have class, find a bus or parking buddy. And, if you see someone walking alone and you're going to cross paths (or pass them), say hi, wave, or announce that you're passing them. 

 

If you're going to explore, do it during the day and when the area you're going is fairly busy (or you have a friend or two). If nothing else, that makes it easier to navigate if you get lost. 

 

I always suggest saving campus and local emergency/non-emergency police, hospital, and fire department numbers on your cell phone -- even if the only call you make is a report to campus police that a thunderstorm knocked down a branch that's blocking a road. 

[shinigamiasuka]

College towns are usually safer than larger cities since what attracts people to these towns is the university, and not any kind of shady business (unless the shady business involves attracting students). Most of the crimes in the area would be committed by students, so you might get to see ones like robbery and theft, so just try to be careful, and avoid staying out late, etc. Also, since you're worried about guns, a lot of universities have their own policies regarding carrying weapons, so you might want to check yours out--although these policies won't matter off-campus.

 

A good way to know what places to avoid is looking up your town on google and reading reviews. Another way is to ask in the city guide sub-forum.

 

If you're in trouble, dial 911.

 

No, you're not breaking any forum rule by mentioning the name of your town afaik. 

[rising_star]

virtua, there's absolutely no rule against mentioning the city you're going to. If there were, the "City Guide" section of this forum wouldn't even exist!

 

If you're really concerned about your safety, I suggest enrolling in self-defense classes. Part of what they teach is not just how to defend yourself but how to be aware of your surroundings so that you can avoid getting into a potentially harmful situation. If possible, always carry a flashlight/head lamp with you in the evenings or early mornings, have some sort of whistle, and set up your cell phone so you can make an emergency phone call with just the press of maybe 2-3 buttons. You want it to be quick to call for help if you're in trouble. 

 

As for guns, most universities do not allow guns of any kind on campus. In addition, even in places like Arizona, there are many establishments which do not permit patrons to carry guns inside. This includes places like grocery stores, bars, and restaurants, in Arizona. 

[fuzzylogician]

Safety can vary greatly depending not only on the city but the neighborhood and sometimes even specifically which street you are on. Generally, the US is very safe, especially where students are likely to be walking around, but some universities are notoriously in not-great parts of town. If you say where you'll be someone can probably share some relevant thoughts, and I'd suggest checking out the thread for your city in the City Guide forum, as well as googling for some information online. Other than that, there is generally not much more to know about staying safe in America that's different than staying safe anywhere else, and others have already covered many of the specifics. 

[St Andrews Lynx]

Regarding guns: although statistically-speaking the USA has a very large number of guns per population head, most are concentrated with a small number of gun-owners who have large numbers of guns. Meaning that most folk in the USA are unarmed. As others have said, individual states have different rules about gun ownership and carrying guns in public. 

 

Large universities or those located in rougher parts of a city often have their own police force to patrol the campus areas and keep their students safe. As general practice, don't walk by yourself late at night (11am-3am on Friday & Saturday seems to be the worst time for muggings on my campus).

[TakeruK]

It's a good idea to talk to other grad students in your program to find out these things. It's especially useful if you are looking for a new place to live--you don't want to end up living in an unsafe area of town where you are not comfortable walking around after dark.

 

But that said, this is hard for anyone to advise because what we feel safe with / threatened by really depends on each person's experience. Grad students come from all over the world with all sorts of backgrounds so what feels unsafe for one could be different for another. For example, my current city has a very low crime rate. There's still parts of town that people consider "unsafe" but based on my experience, I would call these "neither safe nor unsafe" because I grew up in a bigger city with more crime in general.

 

Where I live, I have yet to see an actual firearm out in public. As St Andrews Lynx said, while there are more guns per capita here (Wikipedia says 89 guns per 100 people), this does not mean 89% of people own a gun. The only time US firearm laws have made me uncomfortable was when I was in Arizona (on a prospective grad school visit) and a grad student was driving me in their car and the radio played an ad for a gun fair. Gun fairs are fine, but it was weird to hear it advertised in a way you would advertise a state/county fair (it basically just stopped short of saying "Fun for the whole family!!"). Other grad students in Arizona said that they have seen people carry guns in retail stores in the mall, but I haven't seen any of that in California.

[Cheshire_Cat]

I live in the deep south, and I rarely see a firearm.  I'm also going to school in the downtown of a large city.  I've been on their "campus alerts" email for about five months now, and I've only had 2 alerts in all of that time, and neither ended with a person being hurt.

 

But it really does depend on perspective.  When I moved to the city I live in now, my parents question was "Is it safe?" and they told us to be careful, carry pepper spray, and lock our doors.  One of the first people I met here was thinking about sending her child to college in my hometown.  The one question she asked me is "Is it safe?" because she had heard of crime there.  I very rarely felt unsafe in my hometown, but was scared to move to the big city because I viewed it as unsafe.

Just recently, I was on audit with my senior manger, and through our discussion, I realized that I felt a lot more safe in the country than he did, and he felt a lot more safe in the city than I.  Just different perspectives.

[virtua]

Thanks a lot for your replies!

Just in case it might be helpful, I am talking about Laramie, WY.

[Vene]

Looks to be significantly safer than the national average, with a trend towards there being less crime as time passes: http://www.city-data.com/crime/crime-Laramie-Wyoming.html

Edited July 27, 2015 by Vene