Safety Tips

• Get to know the people who live in your floor/tower/hall/apartment. When you're familiar with the faces and names, you'll recognize someone who is a stranger.
• Never let a stranger into the residence halls or apartment complexes.
• When you do see someone you don't know, ask him or her what they're doing. Questions such as, “Do you need any help?”, “Who are you here to see,” etc., will help keep everyone safe. Remember that the living community is your home, and you should not let someone you don't know into your home! If you suspect someone should not be in on-campus housing, immediately call University Police at 911!
• Lock your room or apartment doors and windows. To protect yourself and your belongings, keep your doors and windows locked at all times, even if you just go down the hall for a few minutes.
• Engrave expensive belongings with your name, or a driver's license number. This will help University Police recover your items if they do get stolen.
• Report any stolen item to University Housing staff or the University Police immediately.
• Register your bicycle with the University Police Department.
• NEVER prop the doors open! If a friend is coming over, arrange to meet him/her, or have your friend call you to come let them in. Propped doors allow anyone access to the community, and jeopardizes everyone’s safety.
• Walk or jog with someone you know and trust. If you do choose to walk or jog by yourself, let someone know where you are going and when you expect to be back, and carry a cell phone.
• Let your roommate and/or your RA/CA know when you plan to be gone from campus for awhile (i.e., a weekend or overnight). This is not to be inquisitive! When staff notices a student has been gone for a while, and nobody knows where he or she is, a missing persons report is filed with the University Police Department.
• When you have a friend come for a visit, register your guest at the front desk and let other people on your floor know about it. That way they won't think there is some strange person wandering around the community. Also make sure to follow the guest policy procedures outlined in the Residence Hall Handbook or Apartment Handbook.
• Know how to contact University Housing staff/University Police in an emergency. Keep these phone numbers posted near the telephone and add them to your 'contacts' in your cell phone.
• Let your roommates or apartment-mates know the people, and their contact information, whom you would want contacted in an emergency, in case you're ever involved in an accident, emergency situation, etc. This list could include your family, friends from home, friends at Cal Poly, medical information, etc. In your cell phone, keep a list of emergency contacts under the heading of ICE (In Case of Emergency) or EMERGENCY. This will help friends or emergency response personnel get needed information quickly.
• Keep your online profile information confidential and do not post personal information that could compromise your safety online.