Here are 5 ways Terps can stay safe this school year

Sydney Dizárd
The Pocomoke Building at The University of Maryland, home to the campus police department. (Sophia Parkins/The Black Explosion)

Bustling streets and sidewalks, crowded classrooms and an overall unfamiliar environment can leave many University of Maryland students overwhelmed. If you want to keep yourself and your friends safe, here are five campus safety tips to protect your shell.

Walk with buddies at night

Whether you’re making a late night snack run, returning from band practice or just getting some fresh air, it’s imperative someone knows where you’re going in case of an emergency.

“After a night out, I’ll always walk in a group of whoever I came with,” said junior information systems major Martha Onyilokwu on ways she stays safe while out.

Additionally, sharing your location with a friend or family member is a great way to keep yourself safe.

Lt. Rosanne Hoaas, a public information officer for the University of Maryland Police Department, said the school has an university-specific version of Rave Guardian, an application that allows you to share your route and location with a family member or friend and directly contact UMPD.

Hoaas explained that on the app, you first send a request to your friend or family member, then they can see your location at all times and keep track of your progress. If needed, you can message each other within the app.

If you need immediate help, you can enter a duress code, a passcode you can use if you’re in need of police assistance, and UMPD will receive a notification then send officers to your location, said Hoaas.

If no one is available to monitor your location, you can request a walking police escort on the Rave Guardian app.

“We will either send an officer out or two of our student police auxiliary members and they’ll walk with you from point A to point B,” said Hoaas.

Additionally, the University of Maryland’sDepartment of Transportation offers a free service called NITE Ride that operates seven nights a week from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 a.m., serving areas of campus not served by Shuttle-UM during the night. You can request a NITE Ride through the Terp Ride App or by calling DOTS at (301) 314-3687.

Remember the Gold Code

If you go out to drink, always remember the four parts of the university’s Gold Code:

1. Pregame with protein

Eating food with high protein such as beef, chicken, fish, eggs and drinking milk helps slow how fast your body absorbs alcohol, allowing yourself to be more alert after drinking.

2. Pace, don’t race

Consuming large amounts of alcohol over a short period of time can cause alcohol poisoning, which can affect your breathing, heart rate, body temperature and can possibly lead to death. Avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol and engaging in activities that encourage doing so, such as chugging and drinking games.

    3. Leave no Terp behind

    When going out, stay with a group of friends. If someone is in trouble, call 911 or directly call UMPD at (301) 405-3333.

    “The University has a policy here in which you don’t get in trouble for calling for us, whether you yourself is underaged and has consumed, or the person you’re calling about has consumed [while] underaged,” said Hoaas, “What we want to make sure is the person who needs assistance, we get an ambulance out to them.”

    4. Sober is safest

    Going out doesn’t mean you have to drink. Staying sober is the safest and healthiest choice when going out with friends. Consider being the designated driver and keeping an eye on your friends when out.

    Be aware of your surroundings

    When walking around campus, keep an eye on those around you, whether it’s others walking, cars, e-scooter riders, bikers or students using other modes of transportation.

    “If I want to be listening to music, I only have one AirPod in, even during the daytime,” said freshman elementary education major Carissa Hyun. This helps her stay alert and hear if a car, e-scooter or bike is approaching, she said.

    If you find yourself in an unsafe situation, use one of the over 300 “Blue Light” emergency phones on and off campus to directly contact police. Some Blue Light phones have cameras, said Hoaas, so if a student presses the emergency button on a phone, officers can track them through the camera.

    Take care of yourself

    If you’re struggling, don’t be afraid to reach out to campus mental health services.

    The Mental Health Emergency Assessment and Response Team, or MHEART, at the university is a resource students can use if they are in need of support. When a student calls UMPD or the counseling center in need of help, MHEART will send out a counselor and an officer to their location.

    If the student needs more support, they will be transported in what is dubbed the MHEART van, what Hoaas described as a “very common soccer mom mini van.” It’s an unmarked van with tinted windows that transports the student to and from the hospital.

    Students can receive individual or group counseling from the university’s counseling center. These services can be in-person or virtual and connect students with licensed counselors.

    If someone you know may need support, contact the Warmline, the university’s non-emergency consultation service or visit the counseling office at the Shoemaker Building, for additional help.

    Get involved

    If you are interested in helping UMPD keep campus safe, Hoaas suggested students apply to be a Student Police Aid.

    “We couldn’t do our job, or complete the mission … without our student support,” said Hoaas.

    Students can work as a student auxiliary member, doing patrols around campus in pairs either on foot or in vehicles, working at gatehouses at night, providing walking escorts or helping during big events such as football games or other special events, said Hoaas.

    Other Emergency Contact Numbers

    If you ever find yourself in need of help, contact any of these numbers to receive assistance.

    UMPD SERVICES

    UMPD’s Non-Emergency Number: (301) 405-3555

    MENTAL HEALTH, PHYSICAL HEALTH AND COUNSELING

    UMD Counseling Center: (301) 314-7651

    Counseling Center’s After-Hours Crisis Support Line: (301) 314-7651

    University Health Center: (301) 314-8184

    SEXUAL MISCONDUCT

    UMD CARE to Stop Violence Crisis Line: (301) 741-3442

    UMD Office of Civil Rights & Sexual Misconduct (Title IX): (301) 405-1142