UW launches student safety Web site
University of Wisconsin Dean of Students Lori Berquam announced Monday the launch of a new Web site designed to promote student safety.
"We care about our students and want to do everything we can to have a safe and healthy school year," Berquam said. "I'm asking everyone to try to integrate safe habits into their everyday lives."
In the past year UW-Madison student Brittany Zimmermann was murdered in her home on West Doty Street, while a UW-Whitewater student, Kelly Nolan, was murdered after a night of partying on State Street. She was last seen on June 23, 2007, and her body was found in a wooded area in the town of Dunn on July 9.
Since those incidents, there has been a heightened sense of personal security among many, but others ignore some basic safety rules and UW officials hope the new Web site will correct that. The site contains a wide range of information about personal safety, off-campus living, sexual assault, domestic violence, emergency preparedness tips and information on how to sign up for WiscAlerts-Text, the UW's new emergency text messaging system and the only emergency notification system that students need to sign up for.
Students automatically receive messages via e-mail and telephone in cases of campus emergencies.
Berquam said she is stressing several tips for student safety, including:
- Always walk with a friend, or use SAFE Nighttime Services.
- Lock your doors and windows, even if you are home.
- 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 friends and neighbors and take care of one another.
As part of safety promotion called Safety 24/7, students, UW volunteers and Madison police along with Mayor Dave Cieslewicz spent the traditional student moving day of Aug. 14 distributing bottled water and handing magnetic door hangers to students moving into off-campus apartments, making safety pitches along the way.
The new Web site has sections on home safety, personal safety, crimes, fire prevention, theft prevention and other categories.
