By Hannah Brough ’18, Staff Writer
If you’re going out for a Halloween treat, make sure you know how to prevent a Halloween trick.
Small colleges are well-known for being safe communities. Lebanon Valley College is nationally recognized as one of the safest campuses in the country.
With such a good reputation, many LVC students on campus aren’t too worried about their safety at parties, even with Halloween, a spooky night generally accompanied by such events, just around the corner.
Jeanette Tropp, senior digital communications major, credits this sense of security to the safety education provided to students.
“I think that we are highly aware on this campus, especially at this time,” Tropp said. “We’ve never gotten more education on the subject than right now.”
LVC’s Public Safety office operates 24 hours a day seven days a week and provides several protective aides to students. These include the Emergency Telephone Blue Lights that are located throughout campus and which allow direct contact with the Public Safety office in the case of emergency. Also the Escort Services provide students who feel unsafe walking alone a companion.
Despite the lengths LVC has gone to protect its students, it’s important that the student body takes every precaution to stay safe.
“Safety’s always paramount when you’re talking about weekend activity, you’re talking about night-time activity and you’re talking about holiday activity,” Brent Oberholtzer, Director of Public Safety and Green Dot Coordinator, said.
Oberholtzer gave several tips on how to stay safe this Halloween:
Wear appropriate costumes that aren’t misleading.
“If you’re going to dress up like a police officer, that’s fine,” Oberholtzer said. “Don’t act as if one, because that’s a crime.”
Wear costumes that aren’t a hindrance to safety. “Make your heels not as tall as you think you might have to have to look the way that you want to look, because you’re going to turn your ankle,” Oberholtzer said. “You’re not going to have the coordination to save yourself.”
Make sure the rules are understood. “If you’re travelling to other locations, know the rules of where you’re going to,” Oberholtzer said. “If you’re visiting another college campus, as simple as it sounds, understand their parking rules and regulations so you don’t come home with a $25 fine, or the friend who’s hosting you isn’t saddled with a fine.”
Make sure guests of LVC know the college’s rules.
“If you’re bringing people onto our campus, make sure that they understand the rules of the college,” Oberholtzer said. “Make sure that they understand the student handbook and what the students here could get held responsible for.”
Don’t go out alone.
“There are a lot of people out there, even in Annville, that might take advantage of that situation where they see somebody alone walking in the darkness,” Oberholtzer said. “Buddy up. Ask friends to walk you home. Call an Uber or a cab to get you home safely.”
Make ground rules and stick to them. “If you’re hosting a get-together, and people are in costume and they have masks, make it known that you won’t allow anybody unless you know who’s behind the mask,” Oberholtzer said. “That person could be a complete stranger walking into your home. Know what your ground rules are and make sure those rules are followed.”
Don’t leave drinks unattended. “Those things could be spiked by somebody that you don’t know,” Oberholtzer said.
Put the public safety office’s number in your phone, and don’t be afraid to call 911 if it’s an emergency.
Be an active bystander.
“If you see something that doesn’t look right, take an action,” Oberholtzer said. “Whether it be directly intervening, or calling someone to intervene, or somehow distracting somebody to get them away from a horrible situation.”
Get consent. “Make sure you get consent before you have sex,” Oberholtzer said. “Do the right thing.”
Make smart choices about what you’re drinking. “If it’s called jungle juice, don’t drink it,” Oberholtzer said. “If it’s in a funnel, don’t drink it. If it’s in a cup, watch it.”
“We want everybody to be informed and be able to make good decisions,” Oberholtzer said.
The Public Safety office can be reached at (717) 867-6111 (on campus Ext. 6111).
Have a safe and happy Halloween.
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