Being safe, even at a location such as UVU might seem unnecessary, but here are some general tips a person can use to minimize risk and stay safe.
Be aware of your surroundings
Often, especially on a university campus, people are drawn into their electronics and do not pay much attention to what is happening around them.
Paying attention to what people are doing can aid in knowing if they are stressed, angry or experiencing a physical or mental emergency. Being aware can help improve response time to either provide aid, alert authorities or get to safety.
Awareness is equally valuable with surroundings. Being alert to what is happening in your physical environment can help improve safety and reaction time in an emergency.
Be deliberate in where you go on campus
In addition to being alert, choosing where to go and when to go there can also help you avoid risk.
If it is going to be dark outside when a person is coming to or going from campus, they should park in a well-lit area and near the building from which they will be exiting.
Areas that are secluded, poorly-lit or have few-to no people should be avoided.
Students on campus may call the UVU Police Department for an escort to their vehicle if they do not feel safe travelling through parking lots or an empty campus alone.
Secure yourself and your belongings
Many objects either come equipped with locking features or can be equipped with them; locks should always be used.
Car doors should always be locked, whether a person is in the car or out of it. Locking the car doors, even when inside, can prevent or slow an ill-intentioned person from gaining access to people or objects inside the vehicle.
Crimes usually have elements of motive and opportunity. A person might be motivated to commit a crime, but securing yourself and physical property — especially by using locking features — may eliminate or reduce the opportunity.
Information security
Devin Krisle, a systems specialist at the Information Technology Security Office, stated that both Wi-Fi networks offered on campus are secure, but security generally lies with the websites accessed by individuals.
That means using trusted, secure websites is important to maintain security for personal information and electronics.
Kristle also mentioned “two factor authentication,” this is the process where individuals receive emails or other additional notifications from websites to verify that the appropriate user has accessed the account. Logging in with a username and password is the first factor, and the notification requesting verification is the second factor for authentication.
Students, faculty and staff at UVU might not all be concerned with safety or security.
James Landeen, a mechatronics engineering senior, stated that it is not something to which he gives much consideration.
Landeen does have the UVU app, and has opted in to the UVU emergency text alert system.
For those that are concerned with safety and security, education, training in self-defense and first aid certification should be pursued. Students are also advised to download the UVU app and to opt-in to the emergency text alert system.
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UVUPD can be reached 24/7 at 801-863-5555
