UW-Madison urges ‘Safety 24/7’ with new Web site

Taking care of your personal safety isn’t something to just to think about at nighttime or after class, but to make a part of your life, all of the time.

That’s the message from the Offices of the Dean of Students to UW–Madison students, faculty and staff, at the start of the 2008-09 academic year. Move-in for some University Housing residents is already under way, and classes begin on Tuesday, Sept. 2.

The university is making an added effort to raise the level of safety education and awareness during the start of the fall semester with the launch of a new Web site.

The site contains a wide range of information about personal safety, off-campus living, sexual assault and domestic violence prevention, emergency preparedness tips and information on how to sign-up for WiscAlerts-Text, the university’s new emergency text-messaging system.

As part of Safety 24/7, teams of UW–Madison volunteers spent the city’s moving day, Aug. 15, with Madison police and Mayor Dave Cieslewicz distributing bottled water and magnetic doorhangers to students moving into off-campus residences.

Dean of Students Lori Berquam says she is stressing the following tips:

• Always walk with a friend, or use SAFE Nighttime Services.
• Lock your doors and windows, even if you’re home. Don’t prop doors open.
• Carry a cell phone and dial 911 for help.
• Be aware of your surroundings. Use your “radar” or common sense as your first defense.
• Watch out for your friends and neighbors and take care of one another.

“We care about our students and want to do everything we can to have a safe and healthy school year,” says Lori Berquam. “I’m asking everyone to try to integrate safe habits into their everyday lives.”

Madison is a generally safe place to live and work. But it faces the challenges of any growing city, including crime. Safety in Madison is a partnership among residents, police, the university and the city, she adds.

Students, faculty and staff with specific safety questions or in need more information can contact the Offices of the Dean of Students, (608) 263-5700, dean@odos.wisc.edu or the University of Wisconsin Police Department at (608) 264-COPS.