Page 52 - Anna Adams Cover Issue March 2025

CODE RED ON CAMPUS:

San Diego Colleges Step Up and

5 Must-Know Safety Hacks for Women

By Former Deputy Sheriff, Joy Farrow, and Technologist and Domestic Violence Survivor, Laura Frombach,
co-authors of Street Smart Safety for Women: Your Guide to Defensive Living

any people are surprised to learn that 50% of all sexual assaults on college campuses SDSU also provides online support for
occur during the fall semester. Known as the College Red Zone, this period spans from student safety through the free SDSU Safe
August to Thanksgiving, when new students are adjusting to a new environment, pos- App, which promotes personal safety on
sibly away from home for the first time, and surrounded by thousands of unfamiliar people. and off campus. The app offers the follow-
They’re still learning their way around and may not have established their social or support ing tools:
network yet. In other words, they’re young, alone, and probably a little overwhelmed—the • Social Escape: Get out of a difficult
ideal profile predators seek. or potentially dangerous situation by
Crime overall in San Diego has decreased, according to the most recent statistics, calling and providing an excuse to
and San Diego universities have launched aggressive initiatives in recent years to address leave.
the Red Zone. By utilizing campus resources, increasing awareness, and taking personal • Friend Walk: Notify a friend of your
action, students can reduce the likelihood of becoming victims. location, allowing them to track your
progress.
• SDSU Safe Ride: An on-demand
San Diego Crime Statistics cal issue. Every level of the university is ride service providing students with
represented, including students, faculty, rides to and from specified locations
The most recent data released by the San administrators, and community mem- around campus.
Diego Police Department shows an overall bers. The Task Force has hosted a series • SDSU Work Safe: Promotes the safety
decrease in crime for the second consecu- of campus community meetings to lis- of individuals working alone during
tive year. Police Chief David Nisleit notes ten and learn from students, faculty, and evenings or late nights on campus.
that San Diego is “one of the safest big cit- staff about the problem of sexual assault
ies in America.” The 2023 (most recent) and harassment at SDSU and nationally
statistics indicate the following: within collegiate environments. They will UC San Diego Safety
• Overall crime citywide in San Diego report back to the President with recom- Programs
decreased by 2.7%. mendations for solutions, improvements,
• Sexual assaults decreased by 16.2%, al- and opportunities to support victimized The University of California San Diego
though they remain a concern during students. (UCSD) also provides students with re-
the Red Zone. As part of SDSU’s ongoing efforts to sources to ensure their safety. Central to
• The violent crime rate of 4.4 per thou- prevent sexual harassment, the university their strategy is the CARE at the Sexual
sand residents is one of the lowest joined the National Academies of Scienc- Assault Resource Center (SARC), which
among major cities in the nation. es, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) offers confidential support, counseling,
Action Collaborative in May 2024, join- and prevention education. Students can
SDSU Proactive Programs ing other institutions nationwide in ad- access resources directly through this ser-
dressing gender-based violence. vice to navigate and mitigate risks effec-
San Diego State University (SDSU) Presi- In 2021, SDSU implemented an Am- tively.
dent Adela de la Torre is leading the charge nesty Policy to encourage community UCSD also offers the following services to
to change these statistics, forming a Blue members to report incidents of sexual vio- promote student safety:
Ribbon Task Force on Gender-Based Vio- lence, alcohol or drug-related emergencies, • Safety escorts to walk with students
lence in the spring of 2023. This executive and hazing. The policy allows students to after dark
action provides the necessary leadership get help for themselves or others without • On-demand rides with Triton Transit
in collegiate environments, cutting across fear of receiving disciplinary sanctions • Safe rides via Lyft
campus politics to address this criti- (such as underage drinking).

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