College Dorm Safety

When most people think of college safety they picture the student that is out and about campus grounds. But what we sometimes fail to think about is the college dorm environment. Students can be intruded upon while they are in their dorms as well as outside. If you are a student or a parent of a student in college, you should consider a small item to add to the rest of the college supplies for safety.

A college dorm room would be a safer place to study and sleep if it had a door alarm. There are a variety of affordable door alarms available on the market today.

One of the most popular is the Door Stop Alarm. It's perfect for dorm rooms or even hotel rooms and apartments for that matter! It actually works like the old rubber door stops that were so popular years ago, but it also has an alarm that sounds if someone tries to come in. You just simply place it under the door! The Door Stop Alarm also has an on/off switch that prevents it from sounding accidentally and a sensitivity switch which prevents tampering. If an intruder attempts to open the door, the wedge-shaped design will prevent it from opening and activate a 120 db alarm.

Another popular dorm room alarm is the Personal Alarm with Flashing Light. This is mostly a 130db alarm that you can carry with you wherever you go, but it also has the added bonus of being able to be used as a door or even window alarm! It has 2 accessory pieces that when attached to the alarm allows it to be adjusted for different situations. One of the accessories is a cord that attaches to the alarm and is clipped to your belt, backpack, purse or wrapped around your wrist. If someone attempts to take it from you, the alarm and flashing light gets activated. The other accessory can be used on doors and even windows. When either of these entrances has the alarm connected to it and it is opened, the alarm goes off and the light flashes. This particular connector can also be placed under a laptop, for example, if someone tries to lift and take it, it also will sound the alarm and flash the light!

Lastly, a personal 116db alarm called the Sport Strobe Personal Alarm by Mace is also one to consider for safety. It's features are similar to the previous alarm but the flashing light can also be turned on as a constant light by pressing a small button on the side of the unit.

All of these alarms are small, very affordable and easy to use. These door alarms deter any intruder from sneaking into a college dorm.

Safety Tips for College Women

Rape or sexual assaults against college women is a huge problem today. Information from reliable sources have disclosed alarming statistics. One study done by researchers at RTI International, Bowling Green State University, the University of Cincinnati, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill which was released in June, 2009, is of particular concern. The study was funded by a grant from the National Institute of Justice, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice.

The study showed that almost 20 percent of undergraduate women were sexually assaulted during their time in college. Alcohol or drugs played a factor as well. Statistics also showed that 11 percent of college women were assaulted when they were incapacitated and unable to give consent. Freshmen and sophomore women where targeted more than their junior and senior classmates for sexual assaults while they were under the influence of alcohol or any other drug. Other similar findings were announced by The Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), which found that college women were 4 times more likely to be sexually assaulted or raped than other women in society.

With all these sexual assault statistics, it's no wonder that women in college need to follow some safety tips while on campus. If you are a woman planning to attend college or a parent of a student, you should keep in mind that prevention is number one! Please make sure that you follow the basic self defense or safety tips shown below or if you are a parent, inform your daughter about them.

• Keep the college police number handy, call them if you need an escort
• Most colleges offer self defense classes, enroll in one
• Buddy system; try not to walk alone, especially during the night
• At parties:
  - Keep your eye on your drink,
  don't leave it unattended
  - Never drink out of the punch bowl
  - Always get your own drink,
  never have others get it for you
• Carry some sort of self defense product, such as a pepper spray or a stun gun
• Always be aware of your surroundings
• Let your fellow students know about these safety tips

It is common sense to follow these tips, just as it is to wear a seat belt when you drive. It's always better to be informed and prepared than to be careless and become a victim.

Send Your Child Safely to College

Fall is gradually getting closer and before you know it, your daughter or son will be headed back to college or going for the first time.

Most parents of these students make sure that their child get all the clothes they need, the books that are required and that their backpack is filled with all the tools they need to perform well and hopefully graduate with honors. There is one thing that is overlooked by parents when gathering all these materials and that is the self defense product or tool. What tool is that, you might ask? This is the simple pepper spray or stun device or even a citizen taser that they might need if confronted with an attacker. A must have item when walking through campus grounds.

A self defense product added to a child's backpack, is a small investment that parents overlook when sending their kids off to college. Especially if your child is a female. It is a known fact that college women are victims of sexual assault 4 times more than other women in society. Women are more vulnerable to sexual assaults than men. It is crucial for your daughter to carry a self defense product. Don't assume your son will always be safe either. There are many incidents where college men have been victims of attacks too. These incidents against males are most of the time, attempts of theft or bullying.

College campuses are like small cities, where students go from one building to another. Sometimes classes, student gatherings or parties take place at night and this is when it becomes crucial to have some sort of protection like a pepper spray, a stun gun or a taser which can prevent sexual assaults or thefts. A stun device such as a stun gun or taser are a little pricier than pepper spray, but each person has their particular preference. This is when you might want to ask your son or daughter what they would prefer. Many of these items come disguised as other things. Some pepper spray look like lipstick containers, some stun guns look like cell phones or pens....

Please keep in mind your child's safety as well as their education when sending them off to college!

Would You Ban Plastic Bottled Water?

A small town in Australia is doing just that. Residents of Bundanoon, Australia claim that it is not good for the environment, along with other complaints.

How far would you go if you knew for a fact that tap water was no less hazardous to drink than bottled water? Many experts claim that tap water is just as safe as bottled water and that most bottled water actually lack certain minerals that humans need to stay healthy. There also have been recent scientific studies showing that plastic bottles release a synthetic type of hormone that makes it easier for women to get pregnant! Maybe Bundanoon, Australia is on the right track...

We all know that food franchises such as McDonalds and others, discontinued serving their drinks in plastic containers and are now using paper cups. They were aware of the contaminants that leak out of plastic containers when heated... Many people still drink bottled water in their cars, after the container has been previously heated by the sun.

Many federal organizations in the United States have discontinued handing out bottled water in their meetings too. This is not because it is unhealthy but because it also wastes a lot of federal funds and taxpayers money, to make and transport bottled water. In fact over 60 cities in the US do not have bottled water in their city meetings and many cities in Canada are doing the same thing.

I think that if we must buy bottled water, that we at least request the bottlers to use glass instead of plastic containers. Same for milk and other plastic contained food manufacturers. Besides, it tastes BETTER!