To answer this, personally, I think it depends on how I look at this question. Am I comparing it to what I thought college campus safety would be like? Do I compare it to what on-campus safety was like at my previous college? Would I solely be determining how safe I feel on-campus at VSU on its own? I think there are many different aspects to the overall question that would change the way I perceived my safety at VSU.
What I Thought College Campus Would Be Like I think my ideas of college campuses, before I actually entered college, were very romanticized to what society portrays in many TV shows and movies. I pictured very beautiful and well-maintained campuses where students walked freely from classes to dorms to dining halls. There was this sense of respect towards others and their belongings as well as this idea that college life was so different but so much better. The students were all very happy, content, and enjoyed their stay on-campus. However, I do not think I ever really acknowledged all the dangers that college campuses could have or even create until I actually began living on-campus at my first college.
What On-Campus Safety Was Like At My Previous College I am a transfer student to VSU, so I have been to another college and lived on-campus in one of their Residence Halls beforehand. For me, I lived in the newest Residence Hall for the three semesters I was there. Since it was a new building, it had more amenities to offer like card swipe access into the building as well as each hallway. Plus, the only card swipe access doors that worked were through the lobby, which someone was always working the desk from open to close. However, I quickly realized that there were students who propped the side doors open with water bottles so they could get back in easier or let friends in without having to sign them in at the lobby. This was a major safety concern that, thankfully, the Residence Hall Director looked into every time it happened and put the culprit(s) under conduct.
Concerning on-campus safety as a whole, I feel like my previous college did an excellent job. Was I nervous my first time walking across the entire campus alone at night? Absolutely! However, I firmly believe that their Campus Police went above and beyond to make sure students were safe. There were several Call-Button Stations across campus with bright blue lights for easy location that were still in-use. There were at least three Campus Police cars that patrolled and stationed themselves in different locations across campus no matter what time it was. Their Campus Police even provided escorting if called for. Furthermore, it was no surprise to see our police officers working out in the gym, eating food in the dining areas, or walking around campus. And to top it all off, Campus Police was programmed into Freshman Orientation where they introduced their office, what services they provided, and repeatedly encouraged everyone to save their emergency and non-emergency numbers into their phone. While it may have been easier for my smaller college to provide these services, I do appreciate everything they offered, and still offer, to the students.
What I Think About On-Campus Safety At VSU This is my first semester here at VSU, so I am still unaware of what all VSU provides for their students concerning safety. Plus, this college has many more students with a more spread-out campus than my previous college, so I do not doubt that it may be harder to provide the same extent of services. However, so far at VSU, I think my safety has been pretty okay. I do live on-campus which has main door, stairwell, and elevator security, but there are no card swipe access points for all stairwells which is a slight flaw to me. Furthermore, I rarely see anyone working the desk for most of the day in my Residence Hall. Although, there are roughly six other Residence Halls, so this may just be solely an issue for mine in particular.
Concerning my safety on-campus as a whole, I do feel like I provide more of my own safety compared to knowing that I have backup nearby if I really need it. Valdosta’s Main Campus does not have many roadways in between buildings, so there is a lack of vehicle patrolment inside the campus compared to the busier around campus on the roadway patrolment. To add to this, there is hardly any foot patrol (that I have seen) to try to adhere to the lack of vehicles able to make their way into the campus. Although, there is interesting lighting that seems to flicker when detecting movement at night (just my own theory though, not sure if the lights just act up conveniently as I walk by) as well as some cameras located in long walkways. Overall, I think I feel adequately safe just so long as nothing major seems to be going on.
So, do I feel safe on-campus at VSU? While I am unsure of a definite answer to this question, I hope that these different perspectives open some new doors to the way you think about your safety in certain areas. Are you comparing the area to another place creating a biased perspective of it? Are you looking at the area as it is and determining its safety level with your own comfort? Whatever your own conclusions may be, I hope that you feel comfortable wherever you are. Stay safe!