Officers stress student safety on, off campus
Avoid parking next to the creepy van with ‘free candy’ painted on the side in the campus parking lots. Do not do drugs. Don’t run from the uniformed officers when they arrive to handcuff you for the illegal activities that have possibly been partaken in. Do find a friend to drive you home if you happen to be even slightly inebriated. Do not jam out to your Walkman if you happen to be walking alone at night. Avoid dark allies and creepy dim streets.
These are all sound pieces of advice that were offered to new CSC students at the campus safety presentation Monday night in the Student Center Ballroom. Campus resource officer Shane Sanders and Chadron’s Chief of Police Tim Lordino presented, along with a member of campus security. Sanders covered issues that are important for all students to be aware of and not just new students. These included how to be safe when walking around at night, safety in the residence halls, at parties, in the parking area, how to deal with bullying, cyber bullying, and sexual assault.
The students were informed about how to navigate CSC’s security website that is linked into csc.edu. If students go to the CSC webpage and click the Current Students tab there is a link at the bottom of the drop down menu titled All Current Student Links. Under the College Life section find the security link, and then find Report a Crime on the left side of the page. This tab will bring them to a form where students can anonymously report anything from a light that needs repaired to a sexual assault, and everything in between. Once submitted, the form goes to CSC Security and is then handled by the administration or the police. Students are encouraged to use this website to their advantage.
Lordino talked about the repercussions of underage drinking. He informed students of the different ways in which they can incur a minor in possession. An MIP can be written if the officers smell alcohol on a minor’s breath, if the officers see an alcoholic beverage in a minor’s hand, if a minor is in a car that has alcohol in it, and if minors are at a party where alcohol is being consumed.
Lordino also talked about the implications of drinking and driving for minors and those who are over the age of 21. Minors caught drinking and driving will be charged with a minor driving under the influence. Minors age 18 and over caught drinking and driving will be jailed. For those who are 21 and older a DUI will be written if they have a blood alcohol content (BAC) greater than 0.08 percent.