I don’t know about other students, but when I transferred from a community college to the big, daunting University of Illinois, I had more than one person warn me about staying safe.

Yes, like any other university, crime does happen here, but there are plenty of precautions you can take to stay safe on campus.

For one thing, Crime Alerts, notifications of crimes occurring on campus, are automatically sent to your University email address. You can also receive Crime Alerts via text by signing up at the University’s Department of Public Safety website. These alerts let you know the who, what and where of any campus crime as soon as campus police are alerted about it — so yes, sometimes you will receive texts at 3 a.m.

A couple of other things that are important to utilize are SafeWalks and SafeRides. SafeWalks is a service where students can call (217) 333-1216 when they don’t feel comfortable walking home alone. This service is offered between 9 p.m. and 2:30 a.m. Sunday through Wednesday or up until 3 a.m. Thursday through Saturday.

Similarly, SafeRides is a service offered by the Champaign-Urbana MTD where students can call (217) 265-7433 when a student doesn’t have any other reliable or safe means of getting home. Students can call SafeRides between 5 p.m. or 7 p.m. (depending on when the sun is setting) through 6:30 a.m. and they will pick you up and drop you off within the designated SafeRides boundaries. This map of boundaries is available on MTD’s website.

It is highly recommended by the University to program these numbers into your phone for your convenience at any time you need these services.

The University’s Department of Public Safety also provides safety classes including two types of RAD classes: one for men and one for women. The Rape Aggression Defense Systems class is offered to women but is not a self-defense course. According to the Public Safety website, these classes teach awareness, prevention, risk reduction and even some hands-on defense training.

The Resisting Aggression with Defense classes for men work “to challenge societal expectations of men in order to make their environment safer.”

Public Safety also offers Response to Active Threats classes where you are taught about previous University incidents and also how to spot indicators of concerning behaviors to prevent future incidents.

These are good options for people who are worried about safety, but for those who are just interested in getting around campus safety, here are some extra tips:

Be cautious around ATM machines and don’t display valuables or money openly.

Avoid walking or running alone at night.

Use well-traveled, well-lit paths to get home.

Always lock your door, even when at home.

Avoid using MP3 players, cell phones or anything else distracting when walking alone.

Always trust your instincts.

So although the University may seem huge and possibly intimidating, always use your best judgment and utilize the University’s resources, and you should have a fun and safe college experience. 

Kat is a senior in LAS. She can be reached at [email protected].