Prairie Hall Newsletter

OCTOBER SAFETY TIPS

Theft and Burglary Prevention      

Through the diligent efforts of the students, staff, faculty and police department, SIUE continues to be an extremely safe campus. Unfortunately, it is a fact of life that crime can and does occur anywhere at any time. The crimes that occur most often on campus are theft and burglary. The following tips can help to significantly reduce crime on campus:

 Theft Prevention:

• Do not leave valuables unattended, even for a brief period of time.
  • Most campus thefts occur when items of value are left unattended in residence rooms, apartments, offices, the library or the cafeteria.
• Avoid brining items of value to work and leaving them in your office.
• Do not leave items of value in plain view in your residence room, apartment or office.
  • In your residence room or apartment, buy a small lockable foot locker and secure your valuables inside when you are not using them;
  • In your office, secure items of value in a locked cabinet, desk or closet. If you do not have a lockable desk, cabinet or closet, conceal the items out of sight.
• Do not tell others that you have items of value in your residence room, apartment or office.
• If possible, do not leave unfamiliar people alone in your residence room, apartment or office.
• Make a list of your valuables (make, model, serial number and value). Keep one copy of the list at home and store another copy in a safety deposit box or other location, in case of a fire.

Burglary Prevention (Residence Rooms, Apartments, Offices, Vehicles):

• Make sure the doors and windows to your residence room, apartment, office and vehicle are closed and locked when leaving, even if you are only going to be gone for a short period of time.
  • In most of the burglaries on campus, in residences – rooms and apartments – and office and vehicles, the point of entry was an unlocked door or window.
  • If a door lock does not work, notify the Housing staff regarding residence rooms and apartments, or Facilities Management for offices, and have the lock repaired as soon as possible.
• Place a wooden pole or broom handle in sliding-glass door tracks to keep the sliding door from opening.
• Leave a radio or television on if you are going to be gone for a few hours.
• Put some lights on a timer if you will not be returning until after dark.
• Be careful with your office keys. If you lose them, report it immediately to your supervisor.
• Don’t tell others that you have valuables in your residence room, apartment, office or vehicle and don’t tell others where they are concealed.
• Park in well-lit and well-traveled areas.
• Take items of value with you when you leave your vehicle. If you leave valuables in your vehicle, do not leave them in plain view:
  • Secure them in the trunk or glove box.
  • If you can’t secure them in the trunk or glove box, put them on the floorboard and cover them with a blanket or towel.

Remember to be alert for people who are loitering or lingering around your residence, in restricted work areas or on parking lots. Many times individuals will see suspicious people or activity, but don’t report it until after a crime has occurred. If you see something or someone suspicious, call the police immediately.

The SIUE Police Department

(618) 650-3324 (non-emergencies)

Be Safe on Campus.  Download RAVE Guardian

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE) now offers the Rave Guardian app for its students and their families. Rave Guardian is one of the best ways to not only improve personal safety, but also protect your friends by building a private safety network. This app provides instant communication with friends, family, campus safety, and even 911.

SIUE encourages all students throughout campus to utilize the app to network with friends and help increase overall safety and security of the entire student body. An important part of the Guardian app is that students can use it not only to keep themselves safe, but to help protect others. Even students who may not feel as if they need others to help keep them safe can utilize the app to be a guardian and help protect their friends.