Staying safe on campus

Students, faculty and staff:

As we transition from fall to winter and the days get noticeably shorter, we would like to share some very important campus resources, personal safety tips and updates on how we are continuing to make campus a safe place to work, study and visit.

RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU:

• The UIC Safe Walk service is available to any student, staff, or faculty member by calling 312-996-2830 if you need assistance getting to your campus destination.
• UIC Night Ride is a transportation service for employees and students within a designated area, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., seven days a week, including holidays. Any student, staff or faculty member can call 312-996-6800 between 11 p.m. and 7 a.m. to schedule a ride or use their NetID and password to create an account and use the TransLoc Rider app to request shuttles and track them. A UIC i-card is required to access the vehicle.
• UIC SAFE, a free university safety app that allows users to easily connect and share their location with family and friends in real-time, reach UIC Police with just a touch of a button, review UIC emergency response guidelines and more. The free app is available for both Apple and Android.
• A free, four-hour women’s self-defense course is designed to introduce adult women participants (18 years and older) to basic techniques that she can use to defend herself physically and to win a fight in a dangerous or potentially lethal situation. This course focuses on building the student’s confidence in her ability to defend herself, and in encouraging a defiant and aggressive attitude toward an attacker. Go to the UIC Police website, under “Services” to register.
• The UICPD Safe Exchange Zone provides the university community with a space to conduct the exchange of their online transactions in a safe, neutral environment that is comfortable, well-lit and under video surveillance, 24/7.

While walking around the east and west sides of campus in the evening hours, you may have noticed our efforts to enhance safety on campus through our outside security posts. The outside security posts are here as an extra set of eyes and ears, particularly during clustered classes, which go into the evening hours. These security posts will continue to be strategically placed in the inner campuses.

Additionally, UIC Police continues to hire and deploy our student patrol personnel, UIC students who are supervised by a veteran police officer, to provide pro-active walk-throughs of buildings, parking lots and other campus grounds. They also assist the police department by providing walking escorts.

Lastly, UICPD has embarked on a national campaign through the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). “The One Mind Campaign” seeks to ensure successful interactions between police officers and persons affected by mental illness. We have fulfilled all the requirements required by the campaign, including:

• A defined and sustainable partnership with a community mental health organization;
• A model policy to implement on police response to people affected by mental illness;
• Training officers and some staff members in Mental Health First Aid;
• Providing Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) training to at least 20 percent of its members.

When you are on and around campus, please consider these basic tips to enhance your personal safety:

• Be aware of your surroundings and identify the safest route to your destination.
• Always avoid walking alone.
• Do not use headphones or earbuds while walking around; music will be a distraction from hearing an individual or a group approaching from behind.
• Beware of strangers approaching you for any reason. At this time of year, “con-artists” may try various methods of distracting you with the intention of taking your money or belongings.
• Park in a well-lighted area.
• Never leave your car unoccupied with the motor running.
• Be sure to locate your keys prior to going to your car.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.

For more information about the UIC Police department, please go to police.uic.edu.

Sincerely,

John Coronado
Vice Chancellor for Administrative Services