ORIENTATION

Most colleges and universities schedule a two-day summer orientation session to provide parents and incoming freshmen an opportunity to learn more about the campus. The goal is to familiarize prospective students with campus life and to make a smooth transition from living at home to living on-campus. What parents and students should realize when they attend these summer orientations is the schools are still in selling mode; they are putting their best foot forward in order to seal the deal. They want to guarantee that you and your child have an enjoyable experience and, in turn, enroll for classes in the fall semester. It might be an institution of higher learning, but in the end, it is simply a business with a product to sell.

I always enjoyed meeting and speaking with parents and students during summer orientation sessions, as it provided me an opportunity to outline the dangers of campus living and discuss some of the situations students have encountered in the past. I firmly believe that this time spent with parents and students was an essential part of any orientation session. It equipped parents and students with necessary information to ensure they stayed safe in the campus community. The time allotted for these meetings varied between the two schools I served. I do not think it had anything to do with one being a private college and the other one being state-funded; instead, it had everything to do with the personalities of the administration that managed new-student orientations.

The private college I worked for had an administration that believed providing a safe campus environment involved educating parents and students about issues and problems that might occur. The state-funded university, on the other hand, had an administration that believed telling parents and students too much was bad for business. Naturally, at the private college, I always had one to two hours allotted to speak with parents and students, while the state-funded university allotted ten to fifteen minutes.

At the private college, there was no censorship on the information I shared; the administration trusted my good judgment to provide useful information without sounding pessimistic in the process. This college was exceptionally proactive when it came to developing and maintaining a safe campus environment. The state-funded university had a different set of ideals.

One conversation in particular comes to mind. I had just concluded a session on campus safety, when a senior administrator stopped me and warned against sharing too much information. I remember him saying, "These parents haven't decided to send their kids here yet, and we can't have you frightening them away."

I replied, "But what about keeping them safe once they get here? I have a responsibility to these people."

To that, he answered, "No, you have a responsibility to this school."

I never believed the presentations I provided at the state-funded university were anything more than well-rehearsed puppet shows. I believed I was doing a disservice to parents and their children by not speaking with them in more detail. In order to offset this unfortunate censorship, I would usually arrive well before the presentation, and make myself available afterward, in hopes that parents or students would approach me and ask questions.

I will offer this advice. Whenever you attend a new-student orientation, there are key questions you should ask during open sessions. A college or university should be forthcoming with any information that would help you in the decision to allow your child to attend. The responses, or lack thereof, will also tell you how important the college or university considers campus safety.

What Questions Should I Ask?

You may not know what questions to ask during campus safety sessions, and that is okay. Here are questions you may wish to use:

• Campus Code Violations—Does the campus publish a list of campus judiciary charges and the outcome of each? Is this information available to the public on the school website? By federal law (see, The Clery Act) the college and university should disclose this information.

• Arrests—Does the campus police department publish crime statistics in compliance with federal law (see, The Clery Act) and is this available to the public on a website?

• Drugs and Alcohol—Does the campus have a problem with drugs and/or alcohol? If anyone ever tells you their campus does not have problems, there is no need to listen to another word they say. Every college and university, just like the community in which you live, has some degree of drug and alcohol issues. It is not so important whether they have a problem, but whether or not the school recognizes the problem and takes proactive measures to prevent future issues.

• Escort Services—Does the campus have a mechanism in place to escort students to and from campus facilities after normal business hours? Is the schedule posted for students?

• Visitation—Is there 24-hour visitation in the residence halls? What means of control is present to ensure the safety of both female and male students? Do the residence halls have limited access points? Are residence-life staff members assigned to work in the halls? Do the halls have closed-captioned televisions (CCTV's) in various public locations in and around the dorms?

• Town—Gown Relationships—For those who may not know, the term town-gown relates to the relations between a town and the university located within the town; the relations between university students and the nonstudents who live in a university town.

Now that you know what it means, you can ask questions relative to town-gown relationships. Questions such as:

* Have there been any issues in the past between students and neighboring non-students?

* What is the relationship between the local police department and the campus police department?

* Are crime statistics available for the surrounding town in which the college or university is located?

The Clery Act requires colleges and universities to publish these statistics, as well as those that happen on campus. Many times, students are victims to crime that occurs in the local community. Read the archives from local newspapers and campus newspapers to become aware of dangers lurking outside the confines of the campus community. Speak with upperclassmen when visiting the campus to see what their thoughts are of the local community.

• Parking on Campus—Are there sufficient numbers of safe, close convenient parking spaces for students? Most colleges and universities do not have close, convenient spaces for everyone. In my opinion, female resident students should have the closest, safest, most convenient parking spaces, but then so should commuters who take night classes. Students should not be expected to walk too far late at night, especially if the campus is not well lit. How many tickets are issued annually to students? Is there an appeal system in place for students? Are faculty and staff required to purchase parking permits and pay parking fines? Students typically pay the largest percentage of the total costs for parking enforcement operations, but faculty and staff should be responsible too.

• 24-Hour Police Protection—Is the campus protected by a fulltime law enforcement agency that provides around the clock protection and immediate response to calls for assistance? Do the students have a means to contact police twenty-four hours a day and actually speak with someone on the phone? If a student visits the police department, will the doors always be open and will someone physically be there to provide assistance? How many police are on duty each shift?

The reason for asking questions such as these is simple. At the private college, our police force was limited such that we only had one police officer working most shifts, with the exception of over-lapping coverage on weeknights from 10pm-2am. The force was supplemented with student security officers. Local police were available to assist if a situation deemed it necessary, but their loyalties were to the municipality in which they were employed, not the college. This created conflict at times.

At the state-funded university, more funding was available. At least three to four police officers worked each shift, with up to seven officers working Thursday nights, which is typically the party night on college and university campuses.

• Early Warning—Is there a system in place so that police can notify the campus community of dangerous situations as they are occurring? Does the college provide a demonstration? There are various notification systems available that campus police can use to contact students via phone, email, and/or text messaging. Ask if the campus you are visiting has these capabilities. Do campus police post bulletins in high profile areas around the campus to alert students of recent criminal activity? For instance, if an armed robbery occurs on a street nearby the campus, are students notified and forewarned to use extreme caution.

• CCTV's—Are there cameras in place at residence halls, classroom buildings, and various areas throughout the campus such as automated teller machines (ATM's), the bookstore, or remote walking paths? Cameras do not prevent all crime from occurring, but they contribute to the overall campus safety. Campus police are able to solve a number of crimes each school year as a direct result of images captured on cameras.

• Crisis Prevention/Disaster Response—Is there a system in place to prevent and/or respond to crises that occur on campus? Are there routine drills conducted to educate the campus in appropriate responses to emergencies? Are students well informed of the safe areas on campus if an emergency occurs? Is there a 24-hour number for parents and other family members to call during a crisis to find out about the safety of their child?

• Code Blue Telephones—Are code-blue telephones available throughout the campus for student emergencies? Are they located in conspicuous areas and tested regularly to ensure they are functioning correctly? During some of our regular tests, we found problems with the emergency phones. A campus should not assume the phones work; regular testing provides a reasonable assurance that the phone is operational should an emergency arise.

• Lighting—Is the campus well lit at night? Whether you realize it or not, security lighting plays a key role in protecting students. Take a walk around the campus in the evening hours. If you cannot see clearly, it is too dark. Campuses that place emphasis on safety usually maintain a well-lit campus, especially around residence halls and classroom buildings.

Most importantly, if you are planning to attend an orientation session prior to enrolling, write down your questions ahead of time to ensure you will get the answers you are looking for. You may want to ask to speak with the chief of campus police while there, not only to build a relationship that might come in handy later, but also to get a feel for how this person interacts with others and what his/her philosophy is concerning campus safety.

CAMPUS ORGANIZATIONS AND ESTABLISHING RELATIONSHIPS

When parents send their children off to college, they often caution them not to become involved in extra-curricular activities at first. The emphasis is on studies rather than socialization. Study, study, and then study some more is the creed. Largely, I agree with this philosophy. Many students cannot handle the responsibilities that come with balancing classroom and extra-curricular activities.

Whenever I had the opportunity to speak with parents during orientation sessions, I always encouraged them to allow their student to become involved in campus organizations and activities. I could tell that some parents were reluctant to accept my thought process, as people naturally assume that athletics are the only activities available on a college campus. This is far from the truth. There are actually very few opportunities to participate in college athletics compared to the abundant number of other rewarding activities available. There are fraternities and sororities, civic organizations, internships, professor assistantships, and work-study opportunities.

I am sure many of you have heard horror stories about fraternities and sororities on campuses across the country, and to be honest, some of them are true. An instance comes to mind whenever a parent asks about their student becoming involved in such organizations. This one, in particular, involved drinking and bullying to the extent that administration forbade the fraternity to function on campus. This is an exception and not the norm.

Many fraternities and sororities have a positive influence on the campus and surrounding community. If your child considers becoming a member of a campus organization, ask about the organization's deeds. An organization that is proactive in efforts to have a positive effect within campus and the community is one worth considering.

There are other alternatives to clubs or civic organizations. Many students choose to participate in work-study assignments. As chief of police, I employed more than one-hundred students as part of the work-study initiatives. Some of these students came through the financial aid department and worked throughout the four years of their college careers, while others served as interns. Many of these students pursued criminal justice careers upon graduating.

There was never a student, under my leadership, harmed or injured in any way. I made a conscious effort to limit student involvement in situations where one could expect to encounter physical harm. Most student workers performed tasks related to building security or dispatching. Some students eventually became more involved in crime prevention roles, but even then, they were limited in their involvement with incidents where they might be harmed.

You have to realize too, that if, by chance, a student does make an error in judgment along the way and finds himself/herself in some sort of trouble it, surely makes good sense to have a support team close at hand. I have seen many students who encountered a problem and had the good fortune of having a professor or department staff member step in to offer assistance, guidance, or perhaps even a voice that swayed the outcome in a positive manner.

In this light, can you imagine the benefits of having a son or daughter working with the campus police? Encourage your child to build relationships within other areas of the campus, as well. Some examples include:

• Vice-Chancellor/Vice President within the Business and Finance Division (which can prove helpful when faced with hefty fines or unpaid fees): I cannot tell you the times when a parent or student would go over my head and convince one of these key administrators to void or reduce a parking fine, waive a fee, or allow additional time in which to pay.

• Vice Chancellor/Vice-President within Student Affairs: There were more than a few times when I observed a concerned parent visit campus and suddenly a student who appeared on the brink of being expelled received a more favorable outcome.

You may think that having your child develop relationships with seemingly unimportant role players on a campus is not very important, but I would suggest the time invested is worth it. I would suggest that you find out who the following people are in these positions.

• Chancellor/President's Administrative Assistant: This is a person who has direct contact with the boss every day. Those of us who have worked on a campus know how important it is to become acquainted with this administrative assistant in a positive way. At the private college where I served under two presidents, I learned that the administrative assistant was an extremely powerful role. Those who failed to learn this lesson encountered difficulties.

Bottom line, once again, is that you are paying a great deal of money toward a college education for your son or daughter. Having your child develop a relationship with some of these key players I have mentioned is great insurance on your investment. Is it wrong to hope for influence if a situation should arise wherein your son or daughter faces significant hurdles or possibilities of being sent home? I do not think a parent should always be there to bail out a student, but they should be able to exhaust their options if the opportunity presents itself.