Editorial: Don’t get too comfy, crime always an issue on college campuses

Attention Pitt students: You might think you’re invincible, but you’re not.

Because of… Attention Pitt students: You might think you’re invincible, but you’re not.

Because of recent robberies in Bouquet Gardens as well as a reported rape and break-in on Parkview Avenue, we began to think about safety on college campuses.

We found that college campuses tend to be breeding grounds for crime. A recent report of by Insite Security, a security and risk management firm, found that three-quarters of the colleges and their surrounding areas had sex-offense rates that were 83 percent higher than the national averages.

But according to CNN, both students and parents don’t consider safety to be a big issue. In addition, students often have an attitude that nothing bad will ever happen to them.

While we’d like to think we won’t become victims of campus crime, we’d rather be safe than lose our Xbox 360s — or worse.

Although freshmen are encouraged to keep dorm room doors open to promote meeting new people, remember that only applies when you’re in your room. Even if your building has a secured entry, your building-mates and their guests can just as easily swipe your iPod or MacBook Pro. Investing in locks for your electronics is not a bad idea either.

If you plan on inviting people over, make sure you trust them not to take your belongings. If you can’t ensure this, consider locking up your valuables.

Be careful what you post on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Foursquare. Posting that you’re going out of town or even that you’ll be elsewhere for the evening could be an invitation to get robbed. According to Mashable, a social media news site, a pair of burglars in New Hampshire looked at the updates of one of their targets on Facebook to figure out when he wouldn’t be home.

Try to travel in groups. And though we’re sure you probably won’t go anywhere without your cell phone, make sure you check that it’s charged.

And although we hope it never comes down to this, know that some activist groups suggest yelling “fire” instead of “rape” or “help” during an emergency. Yelling “fire” is more likely to draw crowds, while yelling “rape” or “help” is taken less seriously, according to a film produced by Just Yell Fire, a nonprofit group seeking to stop the assault and abduction of girls.

College is fun. Crime is not. Let’s be cautious and prevent the crimes we can. After all, our parents probably won’t be willing to replace that Nintendo Wii if it gets stolen. And we certainly can’t replace you.