Protecting Your Property

• Keep your possessions in sight at all times. Do not leave books or backpacks unattended.
• If you leave your residence hall room, apartment or office for even a few minutes, lock the door.
• Never leave a wallet or purse on top of your desk or dresser in your residence hall room or office. Take it with you or lock it in a drawer.
• Avoid taking wallets, money and jewelry into athletic facilities and storing them in lockers. These areas are sometimes susceptible to theft. If you do store these items in a locker, use a high quality combination or key lock to secure your property.
• Mark your high-ticket personal property items (i.e. Stereos, gaming systems, laptops, computers, or other electronic devices) using an acceptable method that will support recovery of any such item if lost or stolen.
• Download the Personal Property Inventory Sheet to record property information and store in a secure place in case your property is lost or stolen.

Home safety

• Lock your doors and windows anytime you are home and sleep with your bedroom door locked.  If you have a lock that is not working properly contact your landlord immediately to have the lock repaired.  If you have ground level windows or bedroom doors that don’t have locks, request locks be added. 
• Ensure outside your residence is well lit and leave the lights on. Report burnt out or broken lights to your landlord as soon as possible.
• Be on the lookout for your neighbors. Keep your eyes open for suspicious vehicles or people. If you see something, say something!! Call 911 immediately.
• Bring your house or apartment keys along every time you leave and lock the door behind you. Do not leave your house unlocked because you are expecting another roommate home later. 
• Have a safety plan with your roommates should you find a stranger in your home. Establish a code word to alert others, develop a plan for who calls 911, know how you will keep yourself safe and then help a roommate. 
• Close your curtains or blinds at night to prevent strangers from seeing that you are alone. 
• If you come home and find signs of forced entry, don’t go inside. Instead, go to a safe place and call the police.
• Don’t allow technology to make you unaware.  The minute you’re plugged into headphones or earbuds, you become unaware of what is going on around you in a time you need to consider turning the music down.