When walking home from campus or from a night out‚ be alert and do not walk alone through isolated areas which could make you more vulnerable.
Avoid taking short cuts even if you are late and only use roads that are well-lit and well-travelled, avoiding dark alleyways and parks. There are maps to inform walkers and cyclists about the alternative high-visibility routes they can take.
If you are walking at night, don’t use a mobile phone or MP3 player – you can be too distracted to notice things happening around you. Be aware of your surroundings at all times, walk purposefully, confidently and keep moving.
The Students’ Union has many safety tips on its website www.safe.susu.org, including a section especially for international students, and publishes and distributes a ‘Student Survival Guide’. Night buses are also organised to take students home safely after a night out on campus. Students are also encouraged to invest in a personal alarm and these are on sale in the Students’ Union shop.
If you are the subject of an attack we urge you to let us know. If we are aware of incidents there are a number of services in place that can offer immediate support and assistance to students. Our First Support team can also offer substantial practical assistance and professional support. The Student Support website http://southampton.likn.co/edusupport/wellbeing.html offers practical information and provides emergency and out of hours contact details.