Today is the University's first Safety Awareness Day, a special event focusing on personal safety education.
There will be an information fair in Vari Hall, from 10:30am to 2pm, that will bring together in one location all of the programs, personnel and services dedicated to personal safety at York.
This September brought the new Know it! Use it! Own it! safety awareness initiative to the University. This initiative is a pan-University effort, which features a physical and virtual presence. It was launched with Facebook ads, posters, banners in Vari Hall, and the creation of the University's new Safety Awareness website, all leading up to today's event.
The website is a one-stop safety site designed to inform students, faculty and staff about some of the safety resources at York. In keeping with the Know it! Use it! Own it! initiative, the site lists all the important phone numbers in case of an emergency, offers safety tips including information for first-year students, promotes the use of services such as the goSAFE Escort Service, and informs community members about how to report safety concerns.
Organizers of Safety Awareness Day hope the event will offer an opportunity for everyone on campus to engage in a meaningful dialogue about how to be proactive about their personal safety.
As part of the safety initiative, the Residence Life staff will be hosting a week-long series of activities designed to raise awareness among residence students about various aspects of safety in residence including personal safety, fire safety, emergency preparedness and campus safety.
Safety was also a key focus during Orientation Week with a variety of initiatives in the residences and colleges focused on raising awareness about safety issues and resources, and culminating with the Can I Kiss You? event hosted by the Centre for Human Rights on Sept. 8. The Glendon campus is also participating in the campaign and disseminating information in both English and French to reflect the unique bilingual nature of the campus.
The Safety Awareness initiative follows the release of the York University Safety Audit Report, a comprehensive evaluation of safety initiatives on the York campus by the Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (METRAC), a third-party auditor. The report captured many of the strengths related to safety programs on campus but also emphasized the need to develop a more pronounced culture of safety and security for all community members.
Visit the University's new Safety Awareness website for more information.