By Juliana Vasquez | Staff Writer
September is Campus Safety Awareness Month, and Baylor’s security team is rising to the occasion with tips on campus safety and security.
Gary Helzer, Baylor’s campus safety technician, is the man behind the online safety training assigned to students. Baylor is equipped with the resources and a team that is committed to keeping the campus safe, Helzer said.
“I do a lot with safety skills on the computer. We take care of the training of people who are employed by the university, and for students, I assign thousands each year,” Helzer said. “I also help inspect the buildings regularly, we do walk-throughs looking to be sure there’s no hazards, trying to maintain the buildings for the whole campus.”
Although Baylor is very safe, Helzer said that he recently wishes Baylor could have more safety rhetoric regarding e-scooters and bikes.
“I wish there was a better way of talking about safety as far as using skateboards, scooters or e-bikes on campus because they fly around here, and we always have somebody getting hit because they’re so quiet,” Helzer said.
In terms of general campus safety, Baylor PD Chief of Police John Kolinek said students should always trust their gut.
“I’ve got three grown daughters, and that’s one of the things that I’ve talked to them about consistently. If something doesn’t feel right, then trust your instincts, no matter what it is. There’s no harm in that whatsoever,” Kolinek said.
According to Kolinek, the Rave Guardian app is one that anyone can sign up for. It’s a way to empower students to ensure their own safety, which in turn helps maintain the overall campus security. The app provides users with a virtual escort and enables them to request aid or send tips quickly in the event of an emergency.
Shannon Williams, the associate director of emergency management at Baylor, said students need to stay aware of their surroundings on campus.
“Know what is going on around you. Observe your environment. Know where your exits are. Know where the severe weather assembly areas are. Know how to evacuate. Overall, it’s just situational awareness and knowing what’s going on around you,” Williams said.
Indianapolis graduate student Jake Webb said Baylor feels like a safe campus to him.
“There’s usually a good amount of lights at night, there’s the emergency button stations and generally there’s lots of people around, which usually correlates with the safety on campus,” Webb said.
Williams said this month Baylor’s department of public safety has some marketing initiatives and social media campaigns planned to raise awareness about how to be prepared in case of an emergency.
“We partner with marketing and communications to do outreach, awareness and education for preparedness … I’m doing training this week with some of our building emergency coordinators for severe weather preparedness,” Williams said. “We’re really just trying to engage the campus community, either through social media or through the website, and then in some in-person training as well.”
