Many urban campuses, including DePaul University and the University of Illinois at Chicago, have a “blue light system,” a series of emergency phone boxes that connect directly to campus security. UIC has more than 1,000 call boxes on its campus. While this may sound like a great security system for Columbia, our college’s downtown location makes its situation unique. It is easier for traditional campuses to implement these systems because the campuses are self contained areas, not separate city block.

Columbia has an urban campus. It’s a collection of buildings in the downtown area, making it hard to distinguish between campus and city crime.

Columbia does have emergency call boxes in its buildings, but blue light systems at other schools are in place primarily to protect students walking between buildings. When engaged, these call boxes sound an alarm and contact campus security forces. These boxes deter crime, and we would ideally have them outside buildings.

Because of Columbia’s unique environment, the most important contact in case of an emergency is 911, followed by campus security’s emergency phone number, which everyone should have on speed dial.

The web page for Columbia’s Office of Campus Safety & Security asks students to “embrace [their] urban reality.”  Going to college in Chicago’s South Loop is an exciting opportunity, but as the college’s recently released Annual Crime Statistics & Fire Safety Report shows, our environment can be dangerous, and many students are not contacting campus security when something happens.

Excluding alcohol– and drug-related crimes, which make up most violations on the report, less than 25 percent of 2011’s on-campus violent crimes were reported to campus security at the time they occurred. Most troubling is the fact that only two of the seven forcible sexual offenses that happened on college property that year were reported to the security office.

Perhaps students don’t feel that campus security has the ability to help or know how to contact them. The Office of Campus Safety & Security should do more to communicate with students about its role on campus.

As students who enjoy the freedoms and experiences of an urban education, we also carry the responsibility of protecting ourselves whenever possible. It is pointless to have an emergency contact number for the campus security office if it isn’t in everyone’s phone.

The college also offers free self-defense classes, as reported in the Oct. 1 issue of The Chronicle. Although many students don’t take advantage of this, it is important to be prepared for whatever may happen on campus.

We’ve all received the campus security alerts in our Loop Mail inboxes. Crime can happen to anyone and should be taken seriously.

So put this number in your phone: (312) 369-1111. This is the emergency contact number for the Office of Campus Safety & Security. Students need to take precautions to protect themselves on campus.