Photo Submitted by Ariyon Dailey
It’s National Campus Safety Week and various groups have come together to provide safety seminars for Florida A&M University students.
The week kicked off with an Active Shooter workshop and will end with a special seminar on The Set. During the week, alcohol safety, interpersonal violence and physical safety will be covered.
Seven organizations including Florida Alcohol and Tobacco, law enforcement, FAMU Housing, Student Health Services and Zeta Phi Beta sorority are participating.
In 2008, Congress approved National Campus Safety Week to encourage conversations about safety to prevent violence on college and university campuses.
In 2014, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, “Substance use constitutes one of the most serious public health issues for young people in the United States, creating negative health, social, and economic consequences for adolescents, their families, and communities, and for the nation as a whole.”
All of the events will be held in residence halls where many students are accessible. Assistant Resident Director of Paddyfote Complex Chanc’E Moody says it’s important for residents to know this information to prevent incidents in residence halls.
“All of these programs are very important because they all align with the student code of conduct, but also making them aware of how to be safe on campus,” Moody said.
Moody makes sure her residents understand one of the most effective rules of never propping exit doors open because many incidents like physical assault, fires and sexual misconduct can stem from not following this rule.
Photo Submitted by Ariyon Dailey
For the Tuesday event “Last Call for Alcohol,” Dianne Daniels spoke to students about the effects and consequences of driving while under any influence.
Daniels lost her daughter, grandson and her grandson’s best friend due to driving while under the influence. She encourages students to know their limits and to always think about the next person.
“I want students to make the right choices and the right decisions because alcohol isn’t the only thing that can cause harm,” Daniels said.
The Gamma Alpha Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta sorority is one of the event partners and had a huge presence at the “Last Call for Alcohol” event. Chapter president Kyra Dobard said she wants students to know their limit.
“It’s good to know your limits because you can save your life and someone else’s,” Dobard said.
All of the organizations aim to inform students about campus safety and how to prevent any students from being harmed.
On Wednesday, there is a workshop for interpersonal violence, a self-defense class on Thursday and the week will close out on The Set on Friday.