How to protect your personal safety when studying in the United States?
Who can provide security?
1. Campus law enforcement
Many colleges and universities in the United States have their own police forces. Campus law enforcement officers help students in various ways, from providing school security to investigating crimes. The law enforcement department of the State University of New York at Buffalo consists of countless policemen. "We provide the same service as any local or municipal police station," said Chris Bartolomei, the interim head of UB University Police Department. "But obviously we are worried about campus safety and the types of college students who tend to commit crimes."
If students are victims of crime, they can report the incident to the campus police. Some schools will send police to participate in campus activities to help international students get closer to them. For example, Rendy Schmidt, director of student and scholar counseling at Indiana University in Bloomington, said that at Indiana University in Bloomington, the police distributed safety manuals during international student orientation activities and helped judge student competitions during International Education Week. Office of international student services. This office provides information to help international students understand many aspects of American university life, including security.
In order to help spread information about security best practices and resources, the International Service Office of Indiana University in Bloomington has produced information videos, sent e-mails to international students regularly, and arranged pages about security resources and other work on its website.
Schrade said that if students or their parents are not sure where to guide their safety problems, the school's international service office can help them solve any problems they are dealing with. "I told parents and students that they should not be afraid to ask for help," she said.
2. Director of Student Office
Students from abroad can also seek help from offices without "international students" on campus. The director of the student office of a university is worried about the welfare of students and instructs them to find other available resources. For example, according to its website, the director of the student office at Indiana University Bloomington can help deal with issues related to personal safety, harassment and discrimination.
3. Student Counseling Center
In addition to physical health and safety, mental health is also a concern of international students. University is a stressful time for most students, whether at home or abroad, but studying in another country will bring additional challenges, such as cultural shock, which will further aggravate students' spiritual well-being. The university has a counseling center to provide individual and group therapy and other support services for students. Experts point out that consulting services are confidential, which may help students to be more open and comfortable.
4. Safe ride service
One of the similarities of safety advice given on campus is that you should not walk alone after dark. In order to achieve this goal, many schools provide safe ride service, and students can call a car to pick it up and take it home. The school may also have an all-night school bus on a fixed route.
5. Personal escort
In addition, some institutions provide services so that students can call personal escorts, usually campus police or security officials or trained students, to take them home. For more urgent threats, many schools have alarm systems. In case of emergency, such as bad weather or active gunmen on campus, they will send short messages or emails to students. Students usually register on the university website to receive these notices.
6. Resident consultants
Resident counselors are peer resources for American college students. These student workers manage campus dormitories. They received training to help freshmen adapt to college life and guide students to provide additional support services on campus when necessary.
"I think the most important thing is not to suffer silently," Schroeder said. "If you feel something is wrong, or you have been abused, or you are confused about something, you can ask anyone on campus."
What is the real situation of society?
In the 20 18 report of the Institute of International Education, 80% of American universities and colleges surveyed said that undergraduates from India were worried about the personal safety of the United States. As part of the university search process, future international students and their parents may investigate the safety statistics of the schools that students are interested in. The online campus safety and safety data analysis tool of the U.S. Department of Education allows families to view campus crime data in school reports.
Kim Richmond, director of the National Center for Campus Public Safety, said that in the United States, there is no centralized information source for crimes committed by international students. However, according to a recent report of the center, citing the observations of universities and law enforcement personnel, domestic violence, fraud (usually online), hate crimes and burglary are the most common criminal acts affecting international students.
American universities and colleges have many resources aimed at ensuring the safety of students and helping them in emergencies. These resources are usually discussed in the direction of freshmen, and school staff and law enforcement officers will also provide safety tips for international students. For example, in some schools in the Midwest, new international students are taught what to do in a tornado. This extreme weather may happen in that part of the United States.
If they have security problems or concerns, here are six resources available to American students. This list includes resources provided by many universities, but not necessarily all. Future international students and their parents can visit the school's website to learn about the specific security resources it provides.