Our campus and community should remember no place is too safe. Baton Rouge residents have learned this from the three deaths this past Friday at Louisiana Technical College, the two slain students killed Dec. 13 on campus and the three armed robberies thus far this year. On-campus robberies are higher this year. This past year had only nine robberies, 2006 had 11 and 2005 had three. Police officers cannot be everywhere all the time, and we want to recommend to students to take extra safety precautions while on campus or around town, especially at night. We are not blaming any victims of the past three armed robberies. We only want to ensure our fellow students are as safe as possible. There are numerous safety options out there provided by the University:
– Never travel alone at night. Always bring a friend. Rather than walk in the dark, the University provides campus transit that runs from 5:30 p.m. to 2 a.m. everyday and can be reached at 578-5555.
– For females students, the University offers Rape Aggression Defense courses. RAD classes are a 12-hour course aimed to help female students defend themselves. For more information or to register, call 578-5718.
– Be aware of the emergency call boxes located throughout campus. These boxes are marked throughout campus with a blue light. Choose a route that has these boxes nearby.
—-Contact the Editorial Board at [email protected]