PUPD shares tips on how to stay safe on campus

As Purdue students flood onto campus for the beginning of the school year, some returning, others brand new, some may be wondering how they can stay safe during the new school year.

Purdue police Capt. Song Kang said there are several resources for staying safe while walking around campus, including emergency telephone boxes indicated by bright blue lights.

Pressing the call button connects directly to PUPD and sends the police your location. There are over 350 of these boxes, called emergency telephone system boxes, scattered around campus, Kang said, but Purdue is working on installing more.

“The purpose of the blue light is to draw your attention if you need it,” Capt. Andy Standifer said. “I think it is a really important part of our resources here on campus.”

The boxes can be used for a variety of emergencies, from getting medical attention for an injury to calling for help if you think you are being stalked.

“If you are walking along and you feel like someone is following you, just hit the button and go on to the next one and hit that one,” Standifer said. “Police will respond to that and go to the last one that was pushed.”

Safe Walk is another resource that students can use to get home safely at night.

Safe Walk provides student officers available all week at any hour of the day to accompany people until they make it safely to their desired destination. The number to request a walk is (765) 494-SAFE.

Student officers also ensure all exterior doors are locked and keep an eye out for suspicious or illegal activity.

It’s important to let others know where you are, and if possible, walk in groups at night, Kang said.

“Be mindful of your surroundings,” Standifer said. “Sometimes you get lost on your phone and forget where you’re at or you can get run over or in an accident. Pay attention to the environment.”

In addition to staying physically safe, Standifer said its important to be mindful of online ticket scams.

He said to make sure you buy tickets from a reliable source, such as Purdue Athletics.

Standifer said making a police report is important if you fall for one of these scams.

Alongside these suggestions, Purdue’s website has an emergency procedures guide. These procedures outline what to do in cases of emergency such as a fire, shelter-in-place, a medical emergency, mental health emergency and others.