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.

From Reader's Digest

More on:

• Colleges
• Security Threats
• America's Schools

• 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?

• 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.)

• 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

• Special Report: Is Your College Student Safe at School?
• In the wake of Thursday's Northern Illinois University shootings, campus safety is back in the spotlight. RD did its own research and found many colleges are getting smart about new risks. RD gives out grades and tells parents what to study up on.
• 
• Presumed Guilty: The Duke Lacrosse Team Rape Case
• The DA lied. Their school denounced them. And the media had a field day. The untold story behind a shocking rush to judgment.
• 
• The Ultimate Off-to-College Checklist
• 
• Advice for Parents of College-Bound Kids
• Tips for coping with the application process.
• 
• Binge Drinking on Campus
• The hidden epidemic of social drinking at campuses across the country.
• 
• Best School Tool
• Applying to colleges is a stressful time. Naviance makes it a little easier.
• 

“ You need only reflect that one of the best ways to get yourself a reputation as a dangerous citizen these days is to go about repeating the very phrases which our founding fathers used in the struggle for independence. ”

— Charles Austin Beard

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