Just the other day my friend and I decided to take a walk to enjoy the beautiful weather outside. Our favorite loop to walk is technically off campus (it’s about a mile behind campus). We were walking and talking when we noticed that a Grove City Campus Safety car had just passed us. “I didn’t realize that Campus Safety drove this far off of campus to check on students!” my friend said. I told her that I hadn’t realized that either. I had never doubted my safety while doing this normal walking loop (and still don’t), but knowing that Campus Safety would drive off campus to check on students was an added comfort. Honestly, I realized that my safety was something that I often forgot about and took for granted.
As a prospective college student on a tour of the school, my high school self was only thinking about classes as I walked through the academic building, who my future roommates would be as I walked through the residence halls, and what the food was like as I stood in the cafeteria. Admittedly, the last thing on my mind was safety. Looking back to that day, I realize it was the last thing on my mind due to all of the excitement that looking at a college can bring; however, checking into the safety precautions a college has in place is a great idea when searching for schools.
Here are three basic, important questions to ask yourself in your research and while visiting a school:
- What types of campus safety officers are there on campus? For example, Grove City has officers on foot, bike, and vehicle.
- How secure are the dorms? Can anyone just walk in or do you need card access?
- What services (emergency and non-emergency) does Campus Safety Provide?
At Grove City, Campus Safety is available 24/7. There are Campus Safety officers who are present throughout and around campus all hours of the day. There have been multiple occasions when I’ve come back from studying in the Student Union at 2 am and I’ve passed Campus Safety Officers walking around campus. While I’ve never felt unsafe at Grove City, it really does give me an even greater peace of mind that there are people making sure the campus is safe around the clock (just like the other day when campus safety was driving off campus to make sure students were safe). Additionally, Grove City has “Emergency” buttons on a large poles located throughout campus, specifically in parking lots and on lower campus (more remote areas of campus where there are less people around). If you were ever in danger, you can press the Emergency button, which would automatically notify campus safety. An officer will be there within a matter of minutes to help you.
Overall, Grove City is a close-knit, small town community, so the safety concerns are few and far between. The College has valuable campus safety features that may seem insignificant but speak volumes about the importance they put on keeping students safe: students always have the option of a campus safety officer walking them from their car or a building back to their dorm, immediately reporting criminal acts, taking students to emergency rooms, and even helping them jump their car. In addition, there are always resident assistants, resident directors, and other college employees who are more than willing to help with safety concerns. I’ve always felt extremely safe at Grove City and I’m glad I’ve never had to question that.
Though it may not be the first thing on your mind when you step onto campus, it’s a great idea to check out the school’s safety policy! Ask someone in the Admissions Office for specific measurements the school has put in place and ask your student tour guide what his/her opinion is on campus safety. For more information, check out Grove City’s Campus Safety Guide Book here!
Author, Olivia Buirge is a junior Middle Level Science & History Education major with a Psychology minor. She loves being involved in Orientation Board, Greek Life, the Education department and working for the Admissions Office! She is very excited to pursue a career in teaching and school counseling in the future.