18 Questions Parents Should Ask About Campus Safety

Print out this list of top questions you should ask to evaluate how secure your child's college is.

CRIME
  • Does the campus feel safe to you?

  • After you take the admissions tour, can you take one led by campus security?

  • Is the school monitored—in real time, 24/7—by video cameras? Or is the video merely checked after there’s been a problem?

  • Are there call boxes throughout campus?

  • Does the school use electronic-access card keys and newer campus-alert systems?

  • Are there redundant forms of security, like cameras, call buttons and rotating patrols?

  • Does the school offer self-defense classes?

  • Can you talk to professors, upperclassmen, and local residents about security? What do the local police say about college security?

ALCOHOL AND DRUGS
  • Is there a well-defined alcohol and drug policy? How vigorously is it enforced?

  • Are residential staffers trained to spot abuse and offer help?

  • Does the college inform you of arrests and hospitalizations related to drugs and alcohol?

  • How many students are in fraternities and sororities? (They tend to drink more heavily.)

  • How many students are involved in community service? (They tend to drink less.)

FIRE
  • Are there smoke and carbon monoxide detectors?

  • Are there sprinklers and fire extinguishers? Are there two exits? Do the windows open?

  • Are there regular fire drills?

  • Does the furnace get annual maintenance, and is the electrical system up-to-date?


From Reader's Digest - March 2008
 
Sources: Robert Siciliano, a Boston security consultant, and Security on Campus (securityoncampus.org); Education Development Center, Newton, Massachusetts (main.edc.org); Garry Beach, fire marshal at the University of Kentucky.
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