Kimberly Steele
Personal safety on campus requires watching out and sometimes reaching out.
“I always make sure that I’m paying attention to my surroundings,” said Megan Greer, a junior this past spring in computer science from Panama City, Fla. “I know how important it is to know what is going on around you.
“I feel completely safe on campus. I think the presence of the campus police is very strong. The emergency call stations located about campus are also comforting.”
If you should feel unsafe while on campus and have a cellphone, the best thing to do is call 911, said University Police Chief John McCall.
The 911 emergency service is shared with the city of Troy’s police dispatchers, and they are able to quickly dispatch one of the university’s officers to your location.
“Our officers are normally within one minute or two away from a student,” McCall said. “It doesn’t take very long for an officer to come.”
Scattered around campus are also emergency call boxes that dial 911 for you if you do not have a cellphone or access to one.
The call boxes will record your conversations, and some even have cameras to record video, according to McCall.
Should you simply see something suspicious you would like to report, you can text a tip to the police at 50911. The first word should be “TROJANTIP.”
“I have a male co-worker walk me to my car after work on campus,” said Kayla Sprayberry from Ashland, a sophomore in the spring who was double-majoring in applied computer science and mathematics.
This idea is in line with the safety tips on Troy University’s website. The website suggests walking to cars in groups or pairs.
Sprayberry expressed a positive opinion about the campus police.
“Last spring there was a shooter or robber on campus, and before the public even knew, they had locked down the campus and found the suspect,” Sprayberry said.
The University Police Department offers services that can help a student feel safe.
These services include Rape Aggression Defense, which is a seminar on self-defense tactics and techniques against rape; escorts to walk a student to a dorm or car; and unlocking a vehicle or jump-starting its battery.
More information can be found on trojan.troy.edu/universitypolice or at the campus police’s office in Hamil Hall. Its outside entrance faces the Trojan Center.
