While university safety officials are happy to embrace TCU’s friendly nature, they have emphasized that kindness does not outweigh safety.
This month, university officials have had to remind students to be mindful and respectful of their surroundings.
Students living in Colby Hall are under stricter visitor policies after issues arose with guest behavior. Students in all residence halls are also being cautioned that they shouldn’t hold hall doors open unless they know the person lives there.
“I feel like campus is pretty safe, but sometimes I question it,” Keyshawn Cahill, a sophomore youth advocacy and educational studies major, said. He attributes this to how almost anyone can walk into residence halls.
Approximately 5,500 students live in campus housing and for many, this is their first time living away from home. This new responsibility involves understanding that safety is a shared effort between students, staff and university officials, said Adrian Andrews, assistant vice chancellor of public safety.
Safety starts with community, said Craig Allen, director of TCU Housing and Resident Life. He said that, “In our residence halls, the first and best thing we can do to keep each other safe is know each other.”
Several students say they are pleased with the safety measures at TCU, and shared what they do to be safe on campus.
“If it’s dark out and I’m walking by myself, I use Froggie Five-0, or I talk to someone on the phone,” Kate Poole, a first-year biology major, said.
Sophomore economics major Palmer Rhodes said that he feels safe at TCU especially if he stays with people he trusts.
Frog Shield, a free safety app TCU students can download from any app store. (Paris Goodman)
Andrews says that for students, “It starts here at TCU” and that the public safety department is trying to prepare students for the real world.
While TCU has several safety tools for students to use, including the Blue Light Emergency System, university alerts and the TCU Police Department, Andrews recommends students download Frog Shield, TCU’s campus safety app.
The app provides direct access to emergency services and added protection features, but Andrews said, “There are seniors who have never downloaded it.”