The change of seasons from summer to fall offers an opportunity for reflection and preparation as you enter a new time of year. Whether you’re beginning an academic year or in the middle of a final quarter, students and staff are present, listening, and in need of support. At some point, someone will need to know how to get a new ID card, will want to report that they think something was stolen, or they might even question why they’re getting emails warning them about the potential for a serious crime to occur again. In a world where we are bombarded with messages all day every day, we invite you to re-examine your own messages about campus safety and prevention work during September’s National Campus Safety Awareness Month.

It’s easy to get caught up in the “go, go, go” execution mode of running campus safety programs which leaves little time to think about the messaging behind those tasks. Many campus community members want to understand more about the background behind campus safety laws, requirements, programs or policies but don’t know where to turn to get that extra information.  Often times they might even feel brushed aside or ignored when seeking out those answers.

This National Campus Safety Awareness Month, Clery Center has provided multiple professional development opportunities addressing the background of certain campus safety areas and strategies for talking about those areas with campus community members. From reviewing the required components of a drug and alcohol abuse prevention program to the circumstances for issuing a timely warning, we are tackling areas that often lead to questions from your institutions because folks do not understand what is required or how it is accomplished.  Messages explaining the purpose for campus safety actions and decisions communicate what an institution values. Visit this page to download any of our resources and view recordings of our webinars. Our two remaining webinars focus on analyzing timely warnings and understanding the difference between hate crimes under the Clery Act and bias-related incidents.

Let us help you refine how you talk about campus safety programs, how you involve other community members in understanding those messages, and how clear communication can help create safer campuses.

#NCSAM18