Imagine you are finishing up your last class of the day at WCC. It’s evening and just starting to get dark.
Suddenly, you find yourself in a bad situation. Maybe you spot an unfamiliar figure standing by your car in the parking lot. Maybe you spot two people getting into a fight. Maybe you find yourself confronted with an escaped individual from the state hospital. What do you do? Where do you go?
In 2000, a study by the National Institute of Justice on the sexual victimization of college women found that 20-25 percent of women in higher educational institutions will experience rape or attempted rape at least once over the course of their college careers.
At WCC, however, there are already a multitude of measures in place to help keep students safe. According to the Emergency Response Guidebook distributed by WCC in 2014, safety and security at Windward Community College begins with you.
“Be aware of your surroundings,” advises Brian Pactol, vice chancellor for administrative services. “While our goal at Windward Community College is always to provide for a safe educational and working environment, everyone should be vigilant to ensure their own personal safety as well.”
The campus is patrolled by security guards 24 hours a day, seven days a week, including holidays.
Additional security services provided on campus include the 24-hour campus security hotline, the Suicide and Crisis line, the Sex Abuse Treatment Center and hotline, and the campus security escort service.
The escort service is a free way to ensure your safety on campus. If you feel unsafe, simply call the campus security phone number and request a security escort. A security officer will come to your location on campus and walk with you to your destination.
The code-blue phones scattered across campus connect directly to campus security and were originally put in to help students call for help but have since been out of order.
“We have been working to have the emergency code-blue phones upgraded and operational,” Pactol said. “The project was delayed in the process to procure services and determining whether to go with an analog or VoIP (internet phone service) solution. We have cleared our final IT issue and should have the devices up and running as soon as possible this semester while we continue to look for better options to provide for improved student safety on campus.”
Important Campus Phone Numbers:
24-hour campus security hotline
On campus – ext 355
Off-campus – 235-7355
Suicide and Crisis line
832-3100
Sex Abuse Treatment Center and hotline
Night – 524-7273
Hotline – 535-7600
by Susannah Shores, Ka ‘Ohana Staff Reporter
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