We all know the world is a scary place. First you leave the safety of your bully-infested elementary school. You progress to the scarier world of a teenager-infested high school, where \"everyone\" enters their experimentation years and can only do so in the context of things-you-think-are-a-big-deal-that-turn-out-to-be-nothing-later. After you survive that, you might enter a university.<\/p>\n
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If you pick the University of Toronto, you essentially go to school in a city. Toronto is not New York, but it\u2019s not always safe at night, either.<\/p>\n
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This doesn\u2019t stop scrawny nerd women like me from walking around boldly after their 9 p.m. classes. Heck, the only time I\u2019ve been harassed in public was in broad daylight. Perhaps the dangers of the city are de-contextualized in the evening news; even so, U of T has some programs in place to promote students' safety just a tad more. One does what one can.<\/p>\n
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Okay. If there\u2019s one thing every U of T student should know about, it\u2019s the WalkSafer Program<\/a>. It\u2019s a free-of-charge service offered September through April, weekdays from 7 p.m. to midnight. You call their number, and they can provide you with an escort between buildings on campus, to parking lots, even TTC stops. WalkSafer also operates with Accessibility Services, so accessible vans can be provided. The number is 416-978-7233 (SAFE).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Have you seen those red poles with the blue light and push-to-talk button (for example, the one outside Gerstein)? Thankfully, I\u2019ve never had reason to use one, and, Dionysus-willing, I will never have to; regardless, here\u2019s an interesting piece of information. Another Upbeat blogger* told us that, at Queen\u2019s, the \"emergency poles\" follow a path, so one can push each one along one's way if one happens to be running from \u2026 an assailant. Ours at U of T seem a bit more spread out.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n U of T also has an Emergency Alert<\/a> system. One can register one's mobile phone number to receive an alert, in the form of automated voice call or text message, in the event of a major crisis. Direct-dial land lines at the university are already registered.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Lastly, the University has a Community Safety<\/a> Office<\/a>, which links to an even greater range of services and resources, including \u2026 equity offices, legal assistance, crisis lines, and even the Workalone Program, for people working on campus during night hours, weekends and holidays (they'll take note of your location and send someone to check on you).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Well, my children, that was very sobering, so I\u2019m done.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n - Liesl <\/span><\/p>\n -<\/span><\/p>\n -<\/span><\/p>\n * I forget who said it!<\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"