Unfortunately, with so many students, dorm rooms, and valuables, it’s likely you’ll experience some forms of crime—including burglaries, thefts, or assaults.
- Get to know the campus safety office
Next steps:
- Call or email your campus safety office and request information about their programs.
- UPD has the following services:
- Blue light emergency phone stations
- Campus escort services
- Safety app access - UNCWAlert
Check out the campus safety report.
2. Take precautions after dark
We don’t want you to feel like danger is lurking around every corner, but it’s smart to minimize risks.
Walking alone or parking in a poorly-lit area are all actions that come with higher risk at night.
Next steps:
- Use the buddy system when walking at night.
- Call campus security for an escort.
- Know where you’re going before you head out.
- Keep things on lockdown
Don’t leave your dorm or apartment without locking up—no matter how quickly you plan to return.
Next steps:
- If you live on the first floor, make it your practice to close and lock your windows—the same goes for first-floor doors and windows in a shared house or apartment.
- Keep blinds and curtains closed. No reason to give thieves a front-row seat to everything in your place.
- Add a contact sensor to drawers or doors to send you an alert when the alarm is triggered.
- Use a laptop lock.
- Use a small safe to keep your valuables and personal data protected from well-meaning roomies or unexpected “guests.”
- Be smart on social media
Social media is a window into your habits, movements and locations. You don’t want to give scammers, hackers, or potential stalkers a sneak peek at where you go and when your dorm or apartment is empty.
Be thoughtful about what (and when) you post and use these tips to tighten up your social media security.
Next steps:
- Don’t geotag your photos—it reveals your location to strangers.
- Don’t publicly announce when you’re home alone or are leaving your home unattended.
- Review the settings on each of your social media profiles. Set your posts (especially photos) to private or limit access to your approved connections and friends.
- Disable location services to avoid accidentally revealing where you are when you post a picture of that beautiful burrito you snagged for lunch.
- Don’t stay logged in to your social media accounts—that leaves you vulnerable to hackers if you lose your phone or laptop.
5. Be careful getting into your car
Check your backseat and under your car before you get in. A predator could potentially be hiding in one of those locations—especially if you tend to leave your car unlocked or keep your windows rolled down.
- Have your keys or key fob ready well before you reach your vehicle.
- Look around your vehicle and vehicles parked next to you. Check out all sides so you can see if there’s someone sitting alone, loitering, or hiding near your car.
- Don’t multitask when you’re heading to the car. Distraction isn’t your friend when it comes to safety.
- Never leave valuables in plain sight. Items like backpacks, purses, laptop cases, or packages should be covered, put in your trunk or taken with you.
Ridesharing tip
When using rideshare services, always verify the vehicle make, model, and color as well as the license plate and driver details before hopping in.
- Have a plan
Make sure you know where you’re going and how to get there, especially when you leave campus.
Next steps:
- Walk with confidence and avoid looking confused, even when you’re trying to navigate a new location.
- Preplan how you’re going to get home after a party.
- Don’t use both ear pods or bury your nose in your phone.
- Download your campus map.
- Avoid walking along deserted paths.
- Pay attention to crime rates and trends
Campus crime statistics are reported every year in compliance with the Clery Act. Clery Act reporting goes beyond the usual crimes. You can find out about things like fire safety in residential housing, drug- and alcohol-related incidents on campus, and hate crimes.
Other things to explore include:
- Community safety initiatives
- Safety resources like bike lanes and adequate street lighting
- Healthcare resources (medical, behavioral, and mental)
- Learn how to defend yourself
We believe in proactive security measures, therefore having some self-defense skills will help protect yourself.
- Pay attention to the people, environment, and objects around you at all times.
- Don't ignore something that gives you reason to be suspicious. Your "gut" is rarely wrong.
- Keep your personal boundaries in mind. If a situation progresses beyond a certain point and someone crosses the line, you may need to defend yourself.
Self-defense pro tip
Basic self-defense training should be simple to learn and easy to remember. The best rule of thumb is to "follow the centerline" of the opponent and attack the eyes, nose, throat, solar plexus, groin and knees—targets along the center of the body.
