A freshman’s guide to campus safety

Welcome to USC, the start of a new chapter, your next four years, your supposed gateway to professional adulthood and the first time many of you will live on your own. It’s up to you now to watch out for yourself. Here’s a quick list of safety-related frequently asked questions and, hopefully, suitable answers.

Is the area around campus really that bad?

There’s a stereotype that the University Park Campus is smack dab in the middle of one of the “sketchiest” parts of L.A, but according to David Carlisle, interim chief of the Department of Public Safety, that might not be completely true.

“I think it is a safe place if students take reasonable precautions,” Carlisle said. “USC still suffers from an outdated image of being in an unsafe area of Los Angeles, but the community has changed over the last few decades. And so, it’s my thought that it is a safe place to live, work, go to school, if you take reasonable precautions that would be applicable in any big city.”

Carlisle, a veteran law enforcement officer, noted that the University’s crime statistics compare “pretty favorably” to other similar West Coast campuses, and annual security reports indicate that that’s true.

USC reported a total of 412 instances of robbery, aggravated assault, burglary, motor vehicular theft and arson between 2018 and 2020. UCLA reported 449 cases, and UC Berkeley reported 847. Tough to be a Bruin.

Now, none of this is to say that USC is so safe and idyllic that you shouldn’t make smart choices, nor is it to say that it’s your fault if you are a victim of these crimes, but all of us can make choices that put us in safer positions.

How can I stay safe at parties?

Go with a trusted friend. Know your drinking limits. Don’t drive home if you drink. You know, all the things you’ve probably already heard if you’ve recently completed any sort of mandatory alcohol training module through the University.

“Make smart choices,” Carlisle said. “If a situation doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t. Don’t drink a drink that you didn’t open or make yourself, because there have been allegations of drugs added to drinks.”

You also shouldn’t feel pressured to go to parties in the first place if they’re not your thing. Not everybody’s into that stuff (including myself).

What about video surveillance?

A great question that probably nobody (including myself) was wondering. Carlisle had an answer, though.

“Now, all universities, colleges, amusement parks, shopping complexes, have security cameras,” he said. “The difference is, USC DPS has over 300 security cameras that we are live monitoring 24/7 … on and … off campus where our students live.”

So, for instance, if a camera operator sees a student walking alone off campus at night, they can give that student a “video escort” to make sure they get home safely, or radio for help if it’s needed, all without the student knowing. 

“Kind of like the spy movies,” I quipped.

“It’s for public safety,” Carlisle countered. “And there’s nothing on there that we are accessing that isn’t public. For instance, people say, ‘Oh, you’re photographing cars driving down the street.’ Just like anybody else could. ‘Oh, wait, you have a camera watching this person?’ Yeah, they’re by themselves, we’re uncomfortable [with] where they are, let’s keep an eye on them and make sure they’re okay.”

(A later trip to the communications center revealed that it does, in fact, look kind of like the spy movies.)

Some other thoughts

Via Carlisle: Don’t walk around on your phone; it’ll get snatched. Register your bike with DPS to increase the likelihood of you getting your bike back if it’s stolen.

Via USC Safety: Don’t walk around with headphones in or while surfing the web. You’re more likely to get caught off guard in dangerous situations.

Via common sense: Lock your doors. Don’t leave your expensive stuff out in the open. 

Now, to stay safe from…

(1) Upperclassmen, who have the potential to make your life here easier: Don’t brag about your accomplishments, your course load, or, for the love of God, your SAT scores. Your mom might be proud that you got into USC, but literally nobody else cares. Like, we’re all here, don’t turn your allies into your enemies. 

(2) Your roommates, who have the potential to make your life here harder: Take your roommate contract seriously, and don’t be afraid to modify it if certain things come up over the course of the year.

(3) Yourself: Find ways to be active. Don’t sacrifice your personal health for grades. Learn to say no to things.

(4) Debt (at least as much of it as you can avoid): Don’t buy textbooks from the USC Bookstore if your professors don’t make you bring a physical copy to class. The internet is filled with wonders, and that includes free PDFs of textbooks. Search up Library Genesis and save your money.

You’ve got this.