Where should we draw the line between school safety and a student’s right to privacy?

More and more schools are asking professors to watch out for students who could potentially pose a threat to campus safety and security.

After the shootings at Virginia Tech, the creative writing faculty put out a guide to help professors identify and respond to student’s fictional work on violence, murder and suicide. The University of New Mexico has also created a hot line to take calls from profs who have concerns about students’ writing that contains “credible threats of harm to self and others.” Similarly, Boston University has published a brochure, “Helping Students in Distress,” that advises faculty to watch for writing with themes of “hopelessness, social isolation, rage or despair.”

If a student looks ‘suspicious’ schools are even checking out their personal Facebook or MySpace page to see if there are signs of dangerous behavior.

But are these tactics ethical?

Do these measure infringe on a student’s right to privacy? And do they find a student guilty before they have committed a crime? In an age where everyone has a blog (including myself) do schools have the right to access this information?

Psychologists warn that it is very difficult to predict future violence. So is it right to come down on students who write crime or violent fiction? In fact, college students can have an active imagination and might not realize the implications of their words.

Also, is it fair to ask professors to scope out ‘dangerous’ students.? They certainly have not been trained to assess a work for signs of a troubled mind.

So what do you think, are student rights worth being stepped in the name of campus safety and security?

Rape is a really hard thing to talk about.

But even though it’s hard, it’s better to talk about it than to sweep the ugly issue under the carpet. If we don’t talk about it, then we allow it to happen and let the rapists get away with it. By talking about it, we can figure out ways to avoid it or what you can do if it happens to you.

According to the American Association of University Women, 20 to 25 percent of college women are raped during their college years and 65 percent of rapes go unreported. Alcohol is involved with 75 percent of attacks.

Most incidents of rape that happen on college campuses is by someone you know. It could be a classmate, a date (aka date rape), or even that nice guy that lives in your dorm down the hall.

What to watch out for:

• Never leave your drink unattended. Someone could drop the ‘date rape’ drug in it—which makes it easy for you to lose consciousness and know what is going on around you.
• If you are going to a party, buddy up with one of your friends. Promise to come and leave the party together, have a meeting spot in the party where you check in with each other and see if you are both alright.
• Be careful at night. If you are walking around campus at night, you can use campus security to walk you from your class to your dorm. Try to walk with a friend and take well lit routes.
• Always carry some money on you. Have cash handy so you can hop into a taxi if you are somewhere you do not feel safe.

Even by taking these precautions, you can never be completely safe from being raped. This isn’t meant to scare you or make you paranoid. It’s meant to let you know it is not your fault if it happens. You are the victim.

If you are raped, here’s what you should do:

• Get to a safe place as quickly as possible. Call a family member or a friend.
• Even if you feel dirty, don’t shower or bathe. Don’t change your clothes. They could have incriminating evidence on them.
• Call the police or campus security. Reporting the incident might be hard but it will prevent the offender from doing it again to another women. Tell them all the details that you remember.
• Get medical attention. Go to hospital emergency or the Campus Health Center. You will be treated for injuries, examined for venereal diseases, HIV, pregnancy and  valuable physical specimens and evidence will be collected in order to insure a successful prosecution of the offender.
• Seek Counseling. Even if you don’t want to report the rape to the police, counseling will help you with emotional trauma so that you don’t blame yourself, feel guilty, ashamed or scared. It is an important way to heal yourself.  Campus Counselors are trained to help rape victims. Remember, rape is never the victim’s fault.

If you’ve been sexually assaulted, know that you are not alone. Talking about rape on campus is the first step.

Going to college can be a rather daunting endeavor, especially when your parents are telling you non-stop how careful you need to be. I was fortunate enough to be at one of the safest schools around, Boston College, but still there was a significant amount of crime on campus (incidentally, reading the Police Blotter in the college paper every week was thoroughly entertaining). Crimes ranged from the minor (parking tickets, public drunkenness) to the more major (theft, discrimination, disorderly conduct).

But no matter big or small, crime is going to be present wherever you go, so you should really be familiar with the safety policies of your future university. This will make your life easier, and let’s face it, it will make your parents’ lives easier as well. When you first get onto campus, you should find the location of any safety “blue lights.” You should also write down the phone number of the campus police department, and keep it tucked away in your purse or wallet. Other than that, do the basics: walk your routes to class, and make sure you feel comfortable; don’t walk alone at night if you can avoid it, and be extra careful about where you place your drinks if you decide to have one at a bar or party.

Other than that, don’t be afraid. For the most part, colleges are friendly places we’re you’re going to meet lots of nice, wonderful people. Just make sure you cover your bases, because being safe never hurts.

Don’t forget to check out the article on How to Choose a Safe Campus, written by Reisa Resource!