Your home (or your dorm) should be the place where you can go to unwind, chill, kick-back and throw down a few (if you are into that).  Sadly, assaults happen in dorms and off-campus housing all across America.  The focus of this article will be primarily how to keep yourself safe while living off campus and few tips for the dorm folks as well.  For the sake of simplicity here is a check list for you to go by; there is no need for long-drawn out explanations- they should be self evident.  If you are permitted by your campus or landlord do the following:

• Install motion sensors in various areas.  Put them in  obvious and NOT so obvious places like corners and windows.  The door is a place someone can sneak around.  Lights in unexpected places can be a powerful deterrent. 
• Install dead bolt locks- minimum of 1 inch thick.  Additionally make sure the door frame has been reinforced to some degree as well.
• Put locks on the window- or a at a minimum keep them from opening more than five inches.
• Install an alarm system.  The louder (more obnoxious the better)
• Cover your windows with quality drapes.  It’s not a good idea to advertise to the outside world where you are during the night.
• Take a moment and look at your pad from a criminals point-of-view.  Ask yourself if I was going to break in how would I do it?  By asking yourself this it will help identify potential weak spots.
• Thorny bushes are great to plant around windows. 

Granted some of these are more than obvious, but you would be amazed at how many people do not lock their door at night.  I was always taught to train the obvious, why?  It may be boring but the obvious goes a long way in keeping us safe. College safety should be something that is simple, not complicated or a topic that keeps you up at night.

I remember hearing a story of a college student who was assaulted (and I believe raped as well) while on Spring Break, the reason? She did not lock her hotel room door.  I can only guess as to why, but my first inclination was that she was too drunk or just forgot. We can learn something from this tragic experience.  Without getting too into the psychology of how we think, when we do the obvious our minds make an action automatic; when it becomes automatic we can do that action without thinking about it.  Think about it.  If you are conditioned to lock your door, how often do you remember doing it?  My bet is you don’t, you just know it was done. Take this and learn from it.