- January 26, 2012
- 12:01 am
- Karis Hustad
- no comments
Make safety a priority
Loyola students may be city residents, but being city savvy is something that comes with time. In response to this, Loyola’s Department of Campus Safety has created a series of online videos to help the “YouTube” generation become more familiar with best safety practices on and around campus
According to Tim Cunningham, student community liaison officer, the videos came out of a desire to find a new way to bring the safety message to students. In addition, Cunningham says the last campus safety video was a little outdated, to say the least.
“I found a VHS copy of the campus safety video that was made here in 1988; everyone looks like they are in a John Hughes movie,” he says. “Hopefully we do not go another 23 years before we make another safety video.”
Rest assured, these videos are up-to-date. Written, directed, and produced by Loyola theater students, the videos are split into four chapters that each deal with a different aspect of safety on and around campus: Residence Hall Safety, Secure Your Belongings, Internet Security, and Mitch Rambles Off Campus. Instead of a lecturing tone, the videos feature situational-vignettes, starring the character Mitch (senior Paul Dunna), a Loyola student who does not always make the safest decisions; a mysterious hooded criminal who is always there to catch Mitch unawares; and Amy (senior Kelsey Ping), a guardian angel character who saves Mitch from various predicaments around campus.
The subjects of the video are beyond the usual “don’t walk in dark alleys alone at night” and “don’t leave your bag unattended.” Campus Safety also explores best practices in terms of Facebook (both in terms of identity theft and what future employers may discern from your pictures) and drinking off campus, among other topics. Cunningham says the videos were a collaboration between several different Loyola departments, which lent range to the topics covered and ensured the safety messages are the same across the board.
“It wasn’t one person’s idea of being safe on campus,” he says. “It was more of a unified response about how to stay safe on campus.”
Though there are no set plans, Cunningham says the videos will serve several purposes around campus. In the future, the videos may be sent out with crime alerts, play on the digital screens, and be incorporated into University 101 curriculum. In addition, it may serve as filler between movies on the Residence Life-run movie channel.
Though the videos are split into four parts, Cunningham says that one video isn’t necessarily more important to watch over another; they all offer advice that would be helpful at some point during a student’s time at Loyola.
“Our biggest concern is to be proactive on educating students,” he says. “[Each video] has their place: someone who is a commuter doesn’t necessarily need to watch the residence life video, but maybe sometime down the line they may move on-campus or have an apartment, and then it would be helpful.”
“Everything in those videos can be a benefit to anyone,” he adds.
Watch the Campus Safety videos here. For more information or to give feedback on the videos, visit the Campus Safety website here.
