Students learn about the importance of safety

Safety is something many students might overlook in their daily lives. The National Panhellenic Council (NPHC) held a safety class with a guest from Troy University Police Department (TUPD), Patrolman Tatyana Lee, last Wednesday.  

The importance of safety on campus for students was the main discussion. 

“Safety is so important for students because this is a very vulnerable time in our lives,” said Shania Brunson, an exercise science major from Tuskegee, Alabama. “We’re trying to figure out where we want to go.  

“Safety is a big thing, because we need to lock our doors and buy real pepper spray or real tasers.” 

Brunson was concerned about the lack of safety classes on campus, so that’s how the presentation was formed.  

“We realized that not many safety classes are taught, so we wanted to bring one to the student body,” Brunson said. 

This course was not limited to just men or women. Everyone was welcome to learn about how to stay safe on campus.  

“I think it’s super important whether you’re male or female to learn about the dangers that exist in our community and how to stay safe overall,” said Madison McElrath, a senior psychology major from Millbrook, Alabama. “We are such easily identifiable targets. 

“It’s so easy to get caught up in the mundane of everything that’s going on. But it’s super important to know that, because we are a target, it’s an additional awareness we need to have.” 

Patrolman Lee’s presentation was aimed at important ways college students specifically can stay safe. She spoke about multiple safety subjects, including self-defense tools, car theft and sex trafficking. 

“If someone tries to isolate you from your friends and your family, that’s a tactic that they start off with, and sometimes they force their victims to become reliant on finances, especially with college students,” Leesaid. 

TUPD promotes safety in many ways. The department encourages students to always lock their car doors, as car theft was one of the major topics Lee covered in the presentation. Additionally, TUPD discourages drinking and driving as a way to stay safe.  

“Chief Beaudry doesn’t want any of the students to get hurt,” Lee said. “He came up with this Choose Your Ride program for the students to get home safely.” 

After the presentation, students stressed the importance of safety on campus.  

“Because Troy’s such a small campus, it’s so easy to think that danger might not happen to us, but danger is everywhere,” McElrath said 

According to Lee, the most important tool for self-defense is your voice.  

“If you have to, you scream and yell,” Lee said. “Make sure everyone can hear you.” 

For more safety updates from TUPD, follow @troyuniversitypolice on Instagram. NPHC also plans to hold more events for the student body, so follow @troynphc on Instagram to stay updated.