Daylight savings has passed, signaling the beginning of the long, cold winter months. Gone are the glory days of sunshine and warmth, with nothing but dark, frigid weeks left on the horizon.
The thing I'm not too keen about ' besides the sudden drop in temperature ' is the fact that our daylight hours are cut drastically. Athens turns gray and cold with the change of the seasons, and it doesn't look too attractive or welcoming.
Daylight hours only last from about 7:30 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. this time of year. This means that students finishing class at 6 p.m. ' which isn't very late, as far as evening classes go ' must walk home in pitch black. Our normally beautiful campus turns dark and dreary ' and sometimes scary.
There are many spots on campus that are a little eerie when traveling at night. And traveling alone at night isn't ideal. Everyone knows the buddy system usually works, but sometimes it's hard to find a buddy to accompany you around campus. Here are several tips for men and women to ensure nighttime safety (because darkness has taken over our daylight).
First, it should be obvious to stick to well-lit areas after dark. Try to avoid areas with few streetlights or buildings. But if your course takes you through these unfavorable spots, stay alert and walk fast ' or run.
My favorite tip of safety advice came from my mother. When walking to your destination (especially from a shopping center to a car parked far away), carry your keys in your fist. Place a key sticking outward between your pointer and middle fingers. If anyone tries to come at you, you have a great self-defense mechanism that won't harm your hand but will inflict great pain on the attacker.
Another suggestion is to invest in some handy dandy pepper spray, especially for those who live in the dark hallows of New South Green. Many pepper sprays cost only a few dollars and easily attach to your key ring. These should only be used in extreme situations, but it's nice to have that option should something arise. Just don't test it on your friend after a long night of drinking ' that wouldn't be very fun.
Most of these tips should be fairly obvious, but the reason for reiterating them is that people usually don't follow these simple steps to staying safe after dark. Keep these in the back of your mind the next time you're stuck walking across campus in the dead of night, freezing half to death. No one wants to end up as the victim of the next university crime alert plastered all over campus.
17 Archives
Caitlin Price
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