Carnivals promote campus safety
Article By: Denise Ray
The University of North Georgia (°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾) will highlight with carnivals at each campus from Sept. 11-15. Each carnival is designed to engage students, so they become aware of the various resources available to them.
“Our focus is to bring our students an all-encompassing safety education experience in celebration of National Campus Safety Awareness Month in September. Our goal is to highlight campus safety protocols to create a resilient and safe community that supports academic excellence,” Greg Williams, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ director of public safety and chief of police, said.
Dates and locations for the campus safety carnivals are:
- Sept. 11: Oconee Campus Quad — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Sept. 12: Cumming Campus Patio — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Sept. 13: Gainesville Campus, Martha T. Nesbitt Patio — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Sept. 14: Dahlonega Campus Promenade — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Sept. 15: Blue Ridge Campus Patio — 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
“At the University of North Georgia, we take great pride in ensuring that we create and maintain a safe environment for everyone to thrive,” President Michael Shannon said. “I am incredibly grateful for the work of our entire campus safety team that works tirelessly to make our five campuses amazing places to live, learn and play."
Departments will be hosting fun activities to help inform students to make safe and healthy choices, including °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ Student Night Auxiliary Patrol (SNAP) officers.
This is the first carnival of its kind at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾, We recognized Campus Safety Awareness month in the past. This year we are making great efforts to make it fun and engaging while providing valuable information to our community about how °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ approaches campus safety as a whole.
Courtney Hause
°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ victim advocate
"SNAP officers drive golf carts during late evening hours around the campus to pick up people who need rides from point A to point B on campus and its surrounding vicinity," Courtney Hause, °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ victim advocate, said. "They have a separate phone number and then they're dispatched out to people who need rides."
Brooke Smith, assistant director of compliance and Clery compliance coordinator, said various °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ departments including Public Safety, Recreation and Wellness, Student Conduct, Student Counseling, and Title IX will host fun activities to provide information enabling students to make healthier choices.
Community partners include Rape Response, No One Alone, The Cottage, and North Georgia Crisis Network.
Attendees can experience high-speed traffic accidents through simulators and intoxication through goggles. They can visit “Mixer with a Message” to learn about safe consumption of alcohol.
°ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ K9 officer Rex will also be there along with snacks and giveaways.
"This is the first carnival of its kind at °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾," Hause said. "We recognized Campus Safety Awareness month in the past. This year we are making great efforts to make it fun and engaging while providing valuable information to our community about how °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ approaches campus safety as a whole."
Smith said that this holistic approach is unique.
"We're not siloed and focused on only what our departments are doing. We're reaching out across departments to learn, engage and participate in initiatives and programs others are hosting," Smith said. "In doing this, we make a bigger impact on our campus community. You don't see this collaborative and holistic approach in other higher education institutions and it’s something that sets °ÄÃÅÁùºÏ²Ê¹Ù·½ÍøÕ¾ apart from others."
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