Campus safety is one of Bucknell’s qualities that we, as students, often take for granted. Perhaps the rural setting of Bucknell and the overall friendly town-student relations makes students feel comfortable walking home alone from the library late at night, keeping dorm and house doors unlocked during the day and leaving personal items like laptops and wallets out while going to the restroom or meeting with a professor. However, Dean Lantz’s email to the Bucknell student body on Feb. 2 was a reminder that no college campus or space in general is impervious to crime.
The email, which was co-written by Steve Barilar, Chief of Public Safety, detailed an incident involving two female students who were walking back to campus at 2:10 a.m when a balding white male approached them. After the man (who had no affiliation to the University whatsoever) displayed a handgun to the two female students, the students removed themselves from the situation and contacted the Department of Public Safety, who in turn relayed the incident to the Buffalo Valley Regional Police Department.
It goes without saying that this occurrence was a wake-up call for all Bucknell students to be more cautious and aware of their surroundings. We need to remember that going to school in a rural area does not mean that we are exempt from crime occurring on or near our campus. Here are several tips and reminders to remember in order to better to ensure your safety here on campus:
Buddy System: Regardless if you are male, female, a freshman, a senior, live uphill or downhill—you should always walk with someone. There is safety in numbers, so always plan who you are going to and from an event with. It has been proven that by walking with another person, you drastically increase your odds of remaining safe and unharmed.
Be Aware of Your Alcohol Consumption: This is something we generally hear from our parents, but alcohol consumption has been proven to have a causal association with 65-87% of crimes occurring on college campuses. Monitor how much alcohol you consume in a night and also have a “drinking buddy system” in which you and a friend keep an eye out for one another for the night.
Know the Services at Your Disposal: Bucknell has many services in place to help ensure that safety of its students. Public Safety runs a Safe Escort Service, in which a student security escort will walk another student to their place of choice on campus if he or she should feel unsafe at any point from dusk until dawn. To request an escort, call 570-577-3333. Additionally, there are over 40 emergency blue light telephone callbox located throughout Bucknell’s campus. When these callboxes are opened, they immediately signal the Public Safety dispatcher of their activation and the caller’s location. Upon opening the box, the dispatcher will survey the situation via the caller’s description and will send a Public Safety officer if need be.
Protect Your Belongings: Whether in the car, a dorm room or downtown house, be sure to lock all doors and windows. In the library, keep track of your belongings by keeping them with you at all times or by having a friend look after them.
When in Doubt, Call For Help: Knowing the number of Public Safety is extremely important during an emergency or suspicious, unsafe situation. For non-emergency assistance from Bucknell Public Safety, call 570-577-3333. For an emergency requiring immediate assistance from the police, fire or ambulance, call 7-1111 from any on-campus phone and 911 from any off-campus phone.