Campus Safety Week began Monday with the purpose of educating students about ways to stay safe on campus. With events such as Take Back the Night and the Katy Benoit Safety Forum happening this week, students will be flooded with information about campus safety.
This marks the fifth year the University of Idaho has held this event in order to raise awareness of topics ranging from sexual assault prevention to the promotion of personal health.
While the week-long events, information fairs and educational opportunities are important for students, it is also valuable to know that these resources are available all year long.
For example, spread throughout campus are designated faculty offices labelled “safe zones,” where students can ask for help with issues such as understanding their rights or how to make a sexual harassment complaint. The faculty members who occupy these safe zones keep information confidential and aid students with resolving any problems they face.
Another year-round resource is the campus Safe Walk, where a student can call to have an on-staff university security member walk them to their campus destination.
All of these resources are meant to increase the safety of students on campus.
Other places that focus on campus safety include the Women’s Center, the LGBTQA office, the Office of Multicultural Affairs and the Counseling and Testing Center. Students are welcome to visit the offices or talk to counselors in these safe spaces to request help for any issues or seek answers to any questions they have.
These offices and the events held this week provide a great opportunity for students to get involved and advocate for topics they feel passionate about. Take Back the Night supplies an entry point for people who are passionate about advocating against interpersonal violence to pursue activism, while the We Got Your Back 5K run allows students to become involved in suicide prevention.
“I Got Your Back” is the week’s theme, and it is a fitting one for UI. Vandals help each other and the university provides even more opportunities for Vandals to take care of each other and themselves.
Oftentimes, people don’t think to take safety seriously. Not because it isn’t seen as an important topic, but because people commonly think that these safety-related issues won’t happen to them.
UI itself is a relatively safe campus, but that doesn’t mean students should be complacent. It is always better to be informed and involved.
— CW