“Peace, Respect, and Community” showcased during Illinois Safety Week
February 22, 2016
“Peace, Respect, and Community” will be the focus this week on campus with Illinois Safety Week running from Feb. 22 to Feb. 26. Hosted by Student Affairs, the week consists of multiple events and workshops focused on creating a more welcoming campus, as well as addressing the issues of drugs, alcohol and sexual assault/harassment.
For the first time this year, all three University of Illinois campuses will be participating in their own safety weeks.
Departments and groups, ranging from the University of Illinois Police Department to the Native American House, are involved with the events this week. A full list of events is on the Student Affairs at Illinois website.
“It’s always good to remind our students about safety,” said Renée Romano, Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs. “The more messages you put out there, the more opportunities there are for someone to hear it. It just seemed like a good time of year.”
The programs range from topics as simple as general bicycle and fire safety, to a program on the topic of active shooter and bomb threat response ability of the University.
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“I think a lot of the (programs) are really interesting,” said Romano. “The Walk As One program is where police officers and students actually go out in teams and go through the neighborhoods and give info out to the apartments around campus. It’s great because this is a student and police officer team.”
Prizes will be offered at some of the programs, including women’s and men’s basketball tickets, courtesy of intercollegiate athletics. Announcements of Safety Week and the programs offered will also be announced at upcoming athletic events to further spread the word about the events and information available to students.
“(Safety Week) is about having a welcoming environment. We wanted to make sure that we reach all of our populations,” said Romano. “It has information about women and self defense, about international students, and LGBT. I think there is something for everyone this week and I hope everyone participates in at least one program or more.”
