SMU feels like its own town and the park cities around SMU often make students forget that they are in fact in a city. Even just around campus, the overall crime rate is slightly above average according to ADT.
“Trust your instincts – if the hair on the back of your neck stands up, trust that and prepare yourself for something,” Whitt Molton, owner of Legendary Blackbelt Academy says.
Yet, many students and families of students feel as though a college campus is its own entity and therefore is safe and set apart from the rest of Dallas.
“But smu and their campus we don’t have a fence around it so we cant keep everyone else so we have to protect yourself,” Lieutenant Winn of the SMU police department says.
Due to this open campus, SMU has measures in place to keep students safe, especially at night.
“I like the blue lights they make you feel more safe,” Sarah Stone, SMU Junior says.
“What that is is that if you push one of those blue light phones that will come directly to us, our police department or our dispatch,” Winn explains.
When walking alone, paying attention is essential to stay safe. Many students, especially females, walk with their keys in their hands or call someone while they walk at night to make sure people know their location. Yet somehow they forget all their safety measures when they arrive at home. Once in their apartments, houses or dorms, some students don’t even lock their doors.
“Throughout the day, my friends will deadbolt their doors…or they’ll tape their doors,” Stone tells us.
As Stone says, many students purposefully turn their deadbolts to keep their doors from shutting or tape the bolts down so that they door won’t latch shut. While it makes it easier to come and go without digging for your keys, it goes against safety warnings.
“One thing, is that you need to lock your areas, lock your doors…” Winn warns.
SMU has measures likes its blue lights, TapRide and cameras, but students need to do their part to protect themselves and their property, so lock your doors and stay aware.
