New Beginnings: Safety

New Beginnings: Safety

Leading up to the new school year, we are excited to feature Zoë Crego of Her Campus as a guest contributor. Zoë is a Communications major at the University of Ottawa and serves as co-Editor-in-Chief of the uOttawa chapter of Her Campus. Stay tuned for final installment in this six-part series about what every first-year student needs to know.

You’re in a new place and on your own, so it’s completely valid to feel uneasy walking around alone. While it’s okay that you might experience some uneasiness, it’s not okay if you’re constantly nervous to do things on your own. If your concerns are making it difficult for you to complete everyday tasks, reach out to a professional on campus. If you’re just dealing with some nervous jitters being in a new place, check out some of these tips to learn how you can feel more protected on campus and in Ottawa.

Rules and Regulations

Make sure that you are familiar with the rules and regulations in your dorm building to ensure you know what safety protocols are in place to keep you and your neighbours safe.

Campus Services

Know what services are available to you on campus. Carleton and uOttawa both offer student protection services. Since I go to uOttawa, I can give you more insight into what Foot Patrol does. If you attend Carleton, please check out the Safety Patrol website, here. uOttawa’s Foot Patrol is a volunteer position that links students up to accompany students on walks home. Foot Patrol teams are always made up of two students – preferably one male and one female. If you have a night class and need to walk all the way through campus to get back to your dorm, you can give Foot Patrol a call and they’ll send two volunteers out to meet up with you and ensure that you get home safe. Learn more about uOttawa’s Foot Patrol by checking out their website.

Get to Know Your Campus

Familiarize yourself with your campus. Campuses can be big and confusing – sometimes you’ll walk into one building and forget what door you entered from and become disoriented (don’t worry – we’ve all been there). If you take the time to walk through campus when you have some free time, you’ll start to become more familiar with all the roads, paths, and tunnels. The more familiar you are with the campus, the easier it will be to navigate it and you won’t have to worry about becoming lost when you’re making your way back to rez after an extra long study session.

Author

Zoë currently holds the position of co-Editor-in-Chief and President at Her Campus uOttawa in addition to working as a Chapter Advisor for Her Campus National. In addition to Her Campus duties, Zoë is also pursuing a degree in Communications at uOttawa and spends too much of her free time on social media.

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