A New Year, A Safer You

Happy New Year! As we start 2024, many of us set resolutions to improve our lives. This year, include safety as part of your commitment. Whether it's learning self-defense techniques or being more aware of your surroundings, taking steps to support your safety can bring security and confidence to live your best life. Read on to explore tips and strategies for making safety a New Year's resolution that sticks.

Budget for prevention 

Consider adding these items to your safety toolkit:

• Personal alarms or safety whistles
• Trackers like Tile or AirTag
• First aid kit or emergency kit
• Window and door jams
• Helmets, pads, and new locks
• Antivirus protection and tech warranties 

Nothing phone-y here

Emergency communication has come a long way! Make the most of these safety features and stay prepared by

• Updating your emergency contact information in MyU as well as your personal contact information (under the My Info tab).
• Using the safety features from your Android or iOS device.
• Adding important phone numbers to your contact list, like
  • UMN Crisis Line: 612-301-4673; UMN Text Line 612-22
  • UMPD non-emergency line: 612-624-2677
  • Minnesota Poison Control - 1-800-222-1222
• Signing up for emergency and crime alerts in your area.  

Slay in silence

It’s tempting to share all the new and cool things you’ve been up to on social media. However, not everyone online is your friend. Protect your online presence by

• Changing your passwords often and avoiding using the same password across channels. 
• Being cautious of your location sharing when you post.
• Routinely prune your friend list and set your profiles to private. 
• Leaving new purchases and gifts off the ‘gram, like how much birthday cash you got or the make and model of your car.

We’re all in this together

Safety is inherently personal. Expanding that knowledge outward can make your community safer. The University supports a culture of safety, where collective efforts toward safety make expressing respect and support second nature. A few small ways to start can be

• Reporting that scary maintenance issue to building management
• Reading about safety topics from the voice of people whose identities differ from your own
• Joining an organization about a cause you’re passionate about
• Checking friends when they make inappropriate and/or harmful comments 

Whatever you choose to do, in whatever way it looks like, you are part of making the University a safe place for all.