Beach Safety: Up to Each of Us
I love our campus for many reasons: amazing students, terrific faculty and staff, beautiful grounds, our diversity and our vitality—the list goes on. Our safety record also impresses me. In the last several years Long Beach State has been ranked consistently among the top ten most secure campuses in the nation by Security Magazine.
Our excellent Campus Police force is highly skilled and ever-ready to protect our community through vigilant patrol, safety training and a night escort program; faculty and staff have resources at their fingertips to assist students in distress; and Student Services offers advocacy and support services of every kind.
But for our learning community to truly thrive each of us must consider campus safety a personal responsibility. Simply put, we must take care of each other.
There’s been a lot of news recently about sexual assaults at universities across the country. These reports horrify me. Everyone has the right to feel and be safe as he or she walks across campus after studying late in the library, or returning to the dorms after an evening with friends, or seeking to retrieve a car in one of our structures. We all must step up to ensure this right.
As anyone who plays a team sport knows, your teammates “have your back.” If we think of The Beach as our “team” we will pull together to make sure each one of us is protected from harm.
But what does this mean, exactly?
Staying alert and taking reasonable precautions is a start. Ask a friend to walk you to your dorm or join you at a party. If you notice someone feels uncomfortable in a situation with another, step in and provide an alternative. Is your friend incapacitated? Get him or her out of danger. If you see an assault happening, or think one might happen, call for help. Support your Beach friends and classmates by doing what’s right even if you’re not sure or your action may be unpopular with others.
If you have experienced an assault, Beach staff are dedicated to help—check out the You Are Not Alone posters all around campus for information on campus resources.
The Beach must be a safe zone for all, where behaviors that support or condone sexual assault are not tolerated. We can’t create this zone without action from each of you. Safety is up to all of us, all the time. Save a life. Save a friend’s future. Don’t just stand by. Be a Beach teammate.
Go Beach!
