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WILKES-BARRE — Wilkes University student Kate Sarver, 21, plans off-campus shopping trips for daylight hours.

Fellow pharmacy major Tanner Dresch, 21, would round up friends if he wanted to visit Movies 14 at night.

As for Misericordia University’s Tori Dziedziak, 21, she’s vigilant about never leaving a drink untended, even a water bottle. “I always have my hand on that,” she said.

That said, all of these students say they feel safe on their respective campuses.

Dziedziak, a psychology major/organizational management major who hails from the small town of Shenandoah, said Misericordia’s campus in bucolic Dallas Township has such an atmosphere of safety that “Some people will put down their wallet and phone to save a seat in the cafeteria.”

She and two of her schoolmates, Omar Clark, 21, from Long Island, New York, and Michael Pheasant, 21, from East Stroudsburg, believe they wouldn’t feel quite so secure at an urban campus, yet some students from Wilkes University in downtown Wilkes-Barre said they aren’t overly worried about becoming victims of a crime.

By taking a few precautions, they said, you can decrease the likelihood.

“Say your residence hall is at one end of campus and you have a night class (a few blocks away) or have to go to the library,” said Dresch, who is from Lebanon, Pennsylvania. “You can call security and they’ll either pick you up and give you a ride or walk with you.”

“I was very happy they put in the crosswalk,” said Sarver, who is from North Rose, New York. She was referring to Wilkes University’s new Gateway, a raised crosswalk designed to discourage passing motorists from speeding, thus increasing pedestrian safety for students and non-students alike. “And I always plan to walk in groups,” she added.

Local schools have systems in place to send text alerts to students in the event of a dangerous situation and students can use apps on their phones to notify campus authorities about problems they encounter.

“We still have call boxes,” Bob Zavada from Misericordia’s campus safety office said, “but they know technology. Kids are more apt to hit a button on their cell phone than use a call box.”

What other advice can upperclassman give to new students about safety?

“I can go up to a freshman and say ‘You can have a lot of fun on this campus without drinking’,” said Pheasant, who is a biology/pre-med major.

He and Clark both play football and both avoid alcohol. Nobody makes fun of them for that, said Clark, who is studying psychology and biology. “We’re just an accepting kind of campus.”

Women are statistically more likely than men to become victims of a sexual assault, and Dziedziak acknowledged that’s why she feels it’s important to make sure nobody can slip any kind of drug into her drink, which is most likely water.

Getting involved with campus clubs or sports is much better for your overall safety than going to a keg party, she said. “The busier you are, the less trouble you’re likely to have.”

Explaining they advise under-age underclassmen to obey the law and not drink, Dresch and Sarver at Wilkes said their school has specific rules limiting the amount of alcohol that even a person 21 or older can have in a room. That cuts down on the possibility for a big party, Dresch said, and alleviates some potential problems.

Campus officials also spread the word that everyone — students, faculty and staff — can help keep a campus safer by being alert and looking out for other people.

“We all share in the responsibility,” Dresch said.

Students walk along the new Gateway on the campus of Wilkes University on a recent evening in Wilkes-Barre. The Gateway connects several blocks of the campus and features a raised crosswalk that increases safety for pedestrians.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_passageway.jpg.optimal.jpgStudents walk along the new Gateway on the campus of Wilkes University on a recent evening in Wilkes-Barre. The Gateway connects several blocks of the campus and features a raised crosswalk that increases safety for pedestrians. Pete G. Wilcox | Times Leader

Misericordia University students Tori Dziedziak, from small-town Shenandoah, Omar Clark from big-city Long Island and Michael Pheasant from ‘in-between’ East Stroudsburg, have some advice about safety to offer underclassman.
https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/web1_triathlon.questions.miserisafe-008.jpg.optimal.jpgMisericordia University students Tori Dziedziak, from small-town Shenandoah, Omar Clark from big-city Long Island and Michael Pheasant from ‘in-between’ East Stroudsburg, have some advice about safety to offer underclassman. Mary Therese Biebel | Times Leader

By Mary Therese Biebel

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Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT